The Need
by AllMonstersRHuman
Summary: Such was his cross to bear as a half breed. Cursed by the strigoi need for blood. Equally as cursed by the human need for love. Quinlan/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note:** _This is my personal interpretation of Quinlan. Not book, comic, tv, or your personal preference Quinlan. (But he does have tv Q's physical appearance. Specifically the one he had before they changed his makeup.) I have not read the books or comics. I've only skimmed over Q's backstory in the book and seen one comic strip. You may enjoy this story more if you let go of your preconceived notions and the source material's pre-established boundaries for the character first._

 _Negative feedback void of constructive criticism is not welcome. I've had my work plagiarized in the past with entire texts stolen and only the character's name changed. If you recognize my writing anywhere please contact me immediately. I was a Fet girl before Quinlan stole my heart. I hope you enjoy._

* * *

A book came crashing down next to him and Setrakian paid it no mind. He continued scouring the text in front of his eyes. While the makeshift caged wall in front of his desk repeatedly shook with rhythmic tremors. Awkward situations such as these were to be expected in the group's cramped living quarters but this pushed the old man's boundaries. When the groaning started and a sketch floated down to cover his tome, the Professor's eyes flickered upwards with irritation before moving it aside. Setrakian rolled his eyes up toward his bushy grey brows at what he heard next.

"What about Dutch?" she panted out frantically though her legs wrapped tighter around his waist.

"Fak Dutch. She's got her friends and I've got mine eh?" Fet quipped while hefting her higher, quickening his hips to stop any more rational thoughts from crossing her mind.

That same set of grey brows rose toward his hairline when the pair's thrashing against the wall increased to an erratic rate. He was forced to dodge another musty book that toppled from its shelf before the moaning elevated into a shriek and a rumbling yell of pleasure. Then ragged panting reigned for a few seconds. With the sound of shuffling clothing and zippers coming next Setrakian impatiently opened his pocket watch before rising from his seat.

She startled as the door next to them slid open. Her eyes averted straight down to her boots while her cheeks suddenly felt like they'd been stung.

"If you're quite finished Mr. Fet we have business to attend to." Abraham grumbled while making his way toward the back door.

With a chuckle the Ukrainian started to follow, throwing a "Come on." back her way.

"What?" she asked incredulously, side-eyeing the heavy arm that was draped across her shoulders when she caught up.

"You'rea always complaining you're stuck at home cooking and takin' care of Zach lately. Now's your chance to wack some more munchers. We're checking out da Stoneheart property."

She didn't reply as she was pulled closer into his side and they exited into the compound's communal living area. Her walk of shame seemed to be his walk of pride. Fet was all smiles while she tried to slink away from him. Only to be stopped by the brute limb holding her shoulders. With no escape in sight she instead fought to see over it, struggling to turn and catch sight of Dutch. She found the blonde pursing her pillowy lips at them beside a brunette woman. She used her own set to mouth out "Sorry!" before they strolled out of sight and the heavy door was closed behind them.

"Ugh! Get off." she snarled, struggling to get free of him as they approached his familiar bread truck.

"Waaat? What's de matter? You wanted me ever since the night I saved you in that alleyway." he laughed, his ever present humorous defense mechanism kicking in.

"Yeah and you knew that when you decided to start something with Dutch instead." she retorted while Setrakian made his way to a seat in the back and allowed the two youngins to continue squabbling.

The wince Fet gave out and the way he clutched his lower back while he climbed into the truck made her lips flatten into a smug line. She felt he deserved a little suffering for manipulating her. He threw her an apologetic look while he navigated the chaotic New York streets, eventually prompting her to break her stony silence.

"Look I get it. She matches your jolly giant height status. She loves the fight like you do. And she's gorgeous. I almost didn't know who to be more jealous of." Her confession made his brows rise in delighted surprise and threesome scenarios immediately hijacked his brain. "I'm used to guys choosing girls like that over me, it's been happening all my life. It's no big deal. I couldn't even hold a grudge over it when you guys got together because she's so awesome. Everything was working out great. You and I had our bro-thing going on. Now it's all messed up."

"What we did back there was really fucked up." she added with a huff. "Best friends don't do that to best friends."

"She wasn't your best friend till that night at de gas station, before that she was just a stranger. Don't worry about Dutch, she's into open relationships."

"We were all strangers in the beginning and now she's family just like the rest of you." she shot back, unbelievably pissed off that he was trying to downplay what they'd done. "I wasn't just talking about what we did to her. You used me too."

"Come on. You know I've always liked you it's just.." he trailed off with a sigh, cautiously glancing over at her.

"It's just what? It's just a shitty coincidence that it took Dutch bringing her girlfriend home for you to finally show it?" she snapped at him, irritated with his unbelievable answer. "Don't pretend it was anything more than you working out your childish jealousy issues."

Fet remained quiet for a few moments but he did agree. He knew he at least owed her the respect of not trying to make their interaction out to be more than it really was.

"I do like you. It's just… we ended up bein' buddies and I didn't wanna ruin that. You're my guy!" he added with a laugh, trying to bring humor back into the awkward conversation.

If he hadn't caught her eyeballs rolling skyward he wouldn't have known she'd answered at all. He cleared his throat and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel nervously.

"I'd like to take you on a date sometime.." he began in an uncertain tone that almost made her think he was serious. "..I mean depending on how you look at it this could be our first date." he quipped.

His smile briefly faded when she only turned to look back at the Professor and then faced him with an unimpressed look. A disappointed sigh was her final answer.

"Don't tell me you didn't like it." he insisted with a grin, not willing continue talking seriously about the underhanded deed he'd rushed her into.

She threw him a look of disgust while he parked the truck. Begrudgingly she continued their one sided argument when they met in front of the automobile's grill.

"Even if I did enjoy it you sure as hell didn't." she growled out lowly, hoping the elderly man descending the truck stairs didn't hear that part.

Fet's scoff set her off one last time.

"Don't! Don't even lie." she ranted with a finger pointed up at his nose. "I've heard you with her late at night when you guys think everyone is asleep. That was a half pity half revenge fuck and you know it."

"Sadly I know it too. Now may we continue?" a haggard voice requested beside them.

She glanced over and embarrassment heated her against the winter chill in the air. Little did she know a third set of ears were listening in on their mortifying conversation.

With one last glare up at the man in front of her she promised "Never again." before extracting a nail gun from her trench coat.

* * *

It hadn't been difficult to find the one the Ancients called Setrakian. He observed the aged one and his bickering companions. It was a wonder to him that the old man had managed to injure the master. A feat even he himself had never accomplished. His pondering of the advantages to having another ally in the hunt was interrupted by the eastward wind. The intricate scent carried on it shook Quinlan to his very core.

A key underlying aroma in it invoked a storm of emotions that he hadn't been prepared for. Lust. Fear. Curiosity. Anger. Longing. Cherished painful memories long since buried were unearthed in the forefront of his mind.

The punishment he'd received for his first love had been severe enough to keep him from craving such a connection for many hundreds of years. It now appeared despite his reluctance and the ever present lingering sting of loss, his body intended to give him no choice. He could already feel chemical and telepathic reactions taking place inside himself.

Briefly he wondered which part of himself fueled this need. This driving hunger for affection and procreation. An impulse much like the one a newly turned strigoi felt to seek the loved ones of their previous life. The human half, he decided, was supremely to blame. But he knew his strigoi attributes were what twisted it and intensified it to an unnatural level. Such was his cross to bear as a half breed. Cursed by the strigoi need for blood. Equally as cursed by the human need for love.

His desperate attempt to catch another whiff of the smell was thwarted by the shifting breeze.

Making him almost think he'd imagined it. He followed the humans as they advanced on the building and scrutinized the female's voice. Searching for any similarity to one he'd not heard since his father had silenced it.

"So where's he fit in this family a ours you're always talking about?" the male questioned with a smile thrown down in the woman's direction while affectionately patting the older man on his shoulder.

Quinlan could sense the tall man's wavering fear of the female's anger. And his hope that this topic change would put her in a more pleasant mood. He could tell indeed it did as her sour unhappiness turned to mild annoyance. Her facial features shifted from a hard scowl to an easy half smile.

"He's the ornery Grandpa who's too old for our shit." she chuckled, tossing her arm around the aged individual's back in a quick hug before releasing him.

The old man's unintelligible grumble was ignored as they continued.

Quinlan was disappointed in the lower decibel of her voice. From afar the only resemblance he found was the dark hair, aside from an underlying tone in her scent. Foolishly he'd hoped she might be a descendant of his first's extended family. The more of her he inhaled the more he was resigned to acknowledge the similarity in scent meant only one thing, biological compatibility.

Keeping to the shadows while he trailed them he was forced to wonder why now after so many centuries did fate present him with another compatible human woman. The thought that something divine up above favored his failure crossed his mind. Why else would the universe throw such a jarring distraction into his path when he was closer to confronting the Master than he ever had been before.

* * *

"As far as first dates go you gotta admit-"

"Sshh."

Both of them paused at her noise and watched as she turned around. Setrakian unsheathed his sword and Fet reached back for his steel bar in anticipation. Twenty seconds of silence ticked by before one of them dared to break it.

"What did you hear?" Fet whispered.

She didn't answer right away. Instead focusing on the tugging sensation in her body that urged her forward toward a patch of inky blackness in the corridor they'd previously traveled down. A shudder ran through her like she could feel some unseen hand caressing her.

"Nothing." she finally whispered back. "It just…feels..like something's there."

"Feels?" he parroted skeptically before reaching for the flashlight hooked to his pack.

The light illuminated an empty slab of concrete when he shined it on the spot she'd pointed to. "You're losin' it."

"No I'm not." she replied in a hushed whisper. "I don't know how to explain it. I just got the feeling that someone or something was there."

"The Master may be manipulating her mind for some underhanded reason." the Professor suggested, his eyes darting around the large industrial space suspiciously.

The group continued on until they encountered a room housing what Setrakian would soon dub a nursery.

"Dat's just sick." Fet muttered, leaning over to poke around in the dirt with his rebar.

"Do you smell that?" she inquired with disbelief.

She was starting to wonder if her mind had in fact been tampered with. Through out their exploration she'd felt the ever present awareness of something auspicious close by. And a disturbing sensation of anticipation she had not voiced to the men. The kind of suspense one feels as a child the evening before their birthday. Mixed with a heart pounding sensation that people only feel for one special reason. All those sudden unfounded feelings and the ammonia were making her nauseous.

"Smells like vamp chit." the Ukrainian answered with disgust.

"Yeah but I smell..peppermint too. Peppermint ice cream." she clarified, side stepping a child-sized body to try catching the smell again in long sniffs. "It's weak, I just got a little-"

She cut herself off when she saw the way Fet and the professor were looking at her. One with slight worry, the other with growing annoyance. A defensive remark was on the tip of her tongue when a high pitched snarling echoed through the room.

* * *

Quinlan's head cocked to the side from his perch above, listening to the humans while accessing the situation at hand. The woman had sensed him. Her mind's eye was reacting to the call his own had involuntarily sent out. If she was truly meant for him her other senses would seek him out. It was all happening again. Almost exactly like the first time.

He vowed to himself he would not let his second intended perish the same way his first one had. In order to ensure that, he knew he couldn't allow himself any happiness until his father no longer existed.

Though his concentration was hindered thanks to secretions releasing inside his body in reaction to her scent. Akin to an exorbitant amount of testosterone raging in a human teenager. He forced himself to focus. The pungent bitter consciousness of the one who'd sired him by mistake was not far. He meant to follow that link and continue his hunt but her voice from below paralyzed him.

The deep inhales of breath she was taking made him recall how much longer it'd taken his first to become aware of the essence his body produced. Her being that receptive made him fear the next step would start before he had a chance to explain what she was experiencing. An experience that could very well make her believe she was losing her mind.

He wasn't given time to think about that dilemma. Thanks to the scuttling approach of the Master's most unholy creations. Quinlan restrained the familiar urge to slaughter the little strigoi. Instead holding back for a moment to see how the humans fared against them. He was poised and ready should his intended come under real threat from the creatures.

* * *

"Yes! Nailed one!" she cheered triumphantly, looking over to find Fet sporting a grin at her lame pun.

The feelers dodged five more of his bullets while Setrakian battled one with vicious sword swipes.

"If I don't get lucky and hit one soon I'm gonna save the last three for us!" Fet bellowed over the din of flying nails and bullets.

"How about we give them a boom boom to play with?" she suggested with a nod toward one of the silver bombs in his backpack.

"Nah'd be a waste, the little monkeys are too fa-" he began replying. "Look out!"

She narrowly escaped a stinger in her side thanks to a thick forceful sword slashing it in half. A huge smile overtook her face, her mind automatically jumping to the only one in their renegade group who wielded a similar weapon.

"Dutchess I swear I-"

The savior she spun around to face was a terrifyingly stark contrast from the one she'd been expecting. Only a brief panic-inducing pale glimpse was afforded her before he swiftly moved to the next feeler. The motion was so fast the word "hallucination" raced through her mind for a nanosecond. A thought that was quickly dismissed as she turned to view a show of deadly skill taking place. One that quickly ended with the assurance he was efficient with a modern firearm as well.

"The Ancients gave me your name, Professor Setrakian. I followed you here."

The being's greeting to the old man was taken in by her ears but her brain was focused on the weak lingering smoky smell of her father's preferred brand of cigarettes. A phenomenon that had her distracted. And distraughtly sniffing in a circular motion around herself. She stopped searching and nudged the man beside her while Setrackian asked the mysterious creature who he was.

"Fet did you just smell any smoke?" she whispered up towards his ear as to not interrupt the exchange happening in front of them.

The slight shake of his head was her answer so she let it go. Her attention turned to the vapiric figure as he leisurely approached and introduced himself.

"My name is Quinlan. And you and I have something very much in common." he asserted.

She moved her body slightly behind Fret's right side without realizing it. A natural reaction to what appeared at first sight to be a predator stalking closer. It went unnoticed that Quinlan was careful not to look at her, his white-blue eyes landing only on either male's face. Her eyes on the other hand, devoured him. From his bald skeletal head to his clawed fingers and beyond. The indefinable urge she felt to go to him disturbed her. She didn't stop staring at the creature until Fet made his confused frustration known.

"Hold on! What're the Ancients? What de hell is this guy?" he growled out, pointing his gun the ghoulish figure's way.

"If you discharge that weapon in my direction, I shall come over there and tear you in half." Quinlan snapped threateningly at Fet, his icy eyes moving down to the feminine hand that grasped the man's arm.

He took a few precious seconds to compose himself. The man's lingering stench was all over Quinlan's intended as if they'd coupled right before arriving. A detail he'd been furtively ignoring until their mingling scents were so close it could no longer be denied.

This presented a problem he'd never encountered with his first. It had been a different era back then, one which allowed him to simply purchase the Berber slave girl from her previous master. In this day and age women were free to pick their own mate as they wished. He mentally acknowledged he'd have to court her away from the towering blood sack if they were indeed an item. He pushed aside the repugnant thought of competing with the inadequate man for her affections and returned his attention to the matter at hand.

"I see you've been hunting the Master for some time." he acknowledged, noting the professor's dedication and continuing their exchange.

"Fet chill." she whispered while the other two conversed, pulling down harder on his raised arm until he dropped it.

She was going to make a sarcastic comment about jumping the gun when it happened again. This time it was a smell that made tears of heartache well up in her eyes. She chased the scent again, weaving around Fet until it led her to Setrakian. Whom she circled twice. Sniffing madly all the while like a human bloodhound despite the odd looks she got from the two humans. She ended up back at Fet's side practically hyperventilating from the way she'd been breathing.

"Do you smell the perfume?" she frantically whispered, tugging at the arm of his coat. "It's my mom's perfume."

Fet scrunched his brows together, his worry for whatever was happening to her showed plainly on his face. "I don't smell anything."

He watched her head jerk to the left toward Setrakian once more, nose held high in the air, nostrils flared wide.

"It changed again." she informed him between sniffs while trying to follow it. "It's driving me fucking insane, can't you smell it!? Now it's Easter lilies."

"The smell after it rains."

Her eyes were closed on impulse. It seemed to help her find her way. The change happened more rapidly the closer she got to its source.

"Red wine."

"My nana's beef stew."

"New leather boots."

A gasp left her and the conversation that'd continued despite her disruptive searching stopped. Opening her eyes she found she'd traveled a few short feet from the perplexing stranger. She inhaled as deeply as she could before breathily exhaling, "It's you."

Quinlan's eyes dropped to her on their own accord. His expression softened though he did not smile. He enjoyed the tall human's feeling of dread when she took another step towards him. It was short lived before his own uneasy foreboding emerged. He couldn't process anything else as her tantalizing scent overpowered him from being so near.

She kept going, her body moving on autopilot. Inching closer until she was right in front of him despite Fet's sound of protest.

"Ey! Get away from him, you wanna get bit!?" he yelled out in alarm, advancing toward them until Quinlan's head snapped in his direction as a silent warning.

The rushing excitement that made her heart hammer in her chest canceled out the natural fear she should have felt. The smell had nulled in distinctiveness, transforming into one single unidentifiable scent of pure bliss. She was so close now she could feel his intense body heat radiating through his layers of clothing. A new gulp of air made her lids flutter and her eyeballs roll back a little. And yet it still wasn't enough, she had to have it at its source.

She didn't stop to ask permission or even beg it with a glance of her eyes, she was a woman possessed. Instead her eyelids lowered and she leaned forward into him. Chest meeting chest, hands moving to rest on his shoulders. One of which still held a nail gun. Pressing closer until her nose brushed against his throat and she was hit with the strongest consistency of the smell. Her face moved forward to nuzzle against the inflamed elegant swirls that decorated his neck and a hum of appreciation vibrated in her throat.

The rattling purr that vibrated under her face in reciprocation did not alarm her the way it should have. She was too happy to care. Like someone had stuck her with a morphine drip and all the problems in the world had evaporated. Her empty hand moved from his shoulder to trace the pattern her cheek wasn't rubbing against. It felt so velvety the skin of her face was rough in comparison. Much too soft for anything you'd imagine a strigoi would have on its body.

"Like cinnamon roles." she snickered in a lazy almost loopy half murmured whisper while she followed its ridge with her fingertip.

She could faintly hear Fet yelling about something. The longer she stayed pressed to him the more the smell seemed to fade in effect. She didn't want to slowly come back to her senses but it wasn't her choice. She scoffed a few seconds later when her mind actually registered Fet's words about being stuck in his own personal Twilight nightmare. She wasn't ready to come back to reality yet. The dwindling smell of pure happiness made her nose seek out the remnants in his swirl's crevices, greedily rubbing her face all over his neck for more like a fiending addict.

"The pheromones fade the longer we are within close proximity."

The leftover haze was blown away with his unusual soft dual-toned voice. As if a fan had been turned on to force fresh air into her lungs and rational thought into her brain. Her head wrenched away from his throat along with the rest of her body, her eyes moving to finally process his facial features.

"It is a biological mechanism meant to make you recall all the things in life that have brought you happiness." he continued softly as she took another slow cautious step away from him.

The pleasant coolness of her skin had almost been his undoing. He hadn't expected her touch to come so soon or so easily. It'd startled him, surprised him even. A magnificent feat considering how rarely anything fazed him after two thousand years of existing. It'd taken all his self discipline not to embrace her and all his wavering willpower not to duck his head to take in the source of her essence at the crown of her head. The need had never been this intense with his first, even when she'd gone into her monthly heat. He feared his will would break when his second came into full bloom.

He was pretty for a leech she supposed. She'd never been that close to one before without a six foot stinger shooting at her. So she couldn't recall whether or not they all had a slightly darker lined pattern on their faces. Fear struck through her at the unnerving shade of his irises and she quickly moved on from them. The lines extending downward from his eyes reminded her of the wet trails tears left behind on a person's face. Her observation moved from those to savage cheekbones that looked as though they threatened to rip through his ghostly skin. When she scrutinized his pointed nose and full bottom lip the brief thought that he was a bit feminine for her taste made the extended outer slits of his mouth pull downward in displeasure.

"Are you inside my head?" she demanded with outrage.

Her brows knitting together angrily while she retreated further. He'd hoped she wouldn't take notice to his offended reaction.

"I am simply attuned to your emotions." he explained, making her wonder what emotion she gave off while she'd been mentally judging his physical appearance.

She hoped it hadn't been disappointment. Offending a new acquaintance who'd just shown his prowess at killing minutes earlier was not something she wished to do. She held his unsettling gaze for a few more seconds. Eventually breaking it to turn her back on him and return to her human comrades.

The males were just as confused as her. But Quinlan did not have the time to properly explain what had transpired between himself and their female companion. His head shot upward toward the camber's ceiling so fast it would have given a human whiplash.

"You have led me to his nesting place." he spoke to them all in general, not removing his determined eyes from the concrete above.

They all watched him move toward a staircase without looking where he was going, climbing it with dedicated purpose while he kept his eyes skyward. When he was out of sight Fet dropped his protective arm from her frame, looking over to the Professor for answers before turning back to her.

"What de hell just happened?" he questioned, looking her over for any injuries with a sweep of his eyes. "Why'd you rub up on him like he's got human catnip on his skin?"

"He's here. In this building. The Master is here!" Setrakian raved, working himself into his usual frenzy.

"I got that part but what de hell was that?" Fet demanded with a freaked out expression and a nod toward the stairway.

"We cannot let the Master escape. We must bring down this structure on the Master." the old man insisted as he headed toward the spiral staircase.

The mention of explosives immediately lifted Fet's mood.

"We can do that." he grinned, placing a large hand on her shoulder to herd her the way he was headed. "It'll be pretty messy though. And what about your new friend, Mr. Myth, up there?"

"Nothing matters more than destroying the Master. Go! Fast as you can!" he ordered at them while huffing and puffing his way upward.

"Come on, let's go have us some fun." Fet beamed, leaning down to take her hand in his.

When she resisted and remained rooted to the spot he looked back.

"I'm going with him." she informed him with a tilt of her head towards the old man who'd partially disappeared up above. "You know how he gets when the Master is close."

"But da creepy-"

"Fet go! We don't have time to argue."

* * *

All through out their tiresome exchange Quinlan hoped his father did not sense the change in him. The shift in his being at having a match once more. The appearance of the old man amused the Master and served as a distraction from the female running to catch up behind him.

"What a team you two make. United and crippled by lifelong hatred."

Quinlan couldn't let his panic surface when he sensed her entrance. If his father had any inclination to think she was anything more than another human pest…

"This human embarrassed you. Now I will destroy you." he vowed, doing well to completely ignore her presence as she drew closer to the front lines of their battle.

It was her first time seeing the Master. He didn't appear nearly as impressive as she'd imagined. The way the Professor talked about him she'd pictured a hulking monster. He was no bigger than the one who fought on their side. That may have been why she wasn't quite as terrified by the first sight of the monster as she thought she would be.

Her harsh breathing sounded out beside Setrakian when she arrived. The second nail gun hidden within her jacket came out to join the favored one in her right hand. She didn't wait for the pleasantries to end before she started her attack.

"On the con-" The Master paused but half a second to pluck a silver nail from the flesh of his wattle. He didn't bother sparing a glance at the inferior human who'd shot him. "-trary. I will make you scream out in agony. As I did your mother."

Her eyes widened at the beast's last sentence, equally so at the outraged hissing roar that came from the other side of Setrakian. But she didn't stop firing or running forward toward imminent death. As much as everyone took the old man with a grain of salt and kept humor and good cheer going during their struggle. Deep down she knew nothing mattered more than the death of the monster in front of her, even her own life.

Blasts from overhead and the rumbling vibration of the floor beneath her did not deter her either. She caught a glimpse of the Master's enraged nail-riddled face focusing on her before the rubble came tumbling down and an unnaturally warm body covered her. Malicious mocking laughter echoed weakly around them as Quinlan rose off her and shook debris from his back.

"God damn it Fet." she growled under her breath, coughing here and there at the concrete dust aggravating her lungs.

"He was here." the being beside her muttered.

An astonished sound as though he didn't really believe it. He was gazing at the wall of destroyed concrete while she climbed to her feet and threw him a wary look. His breathing was ragged and uneven as he turned towards the elderly man she was walking back to.

"You cost me a chance to destroy him once and for all! Now he will shore up his defenses!" he raged at Setrakian.

The way he strode toward the old man out of anger and the fierce expression on his face made her move to shield the Professor. Though she was more likely to get in the way than protect him. The unhinged desperation of his demeanor made her choose her words with caution.

"We thought we were making sure the Master didn't have the chance to run again and it backfired. Yeah we cost you a shot at him.." she paused to swallow a nervous lump in her throat, noting he looked less feral once she continued. "..but there'll be another one. We didn't think we'd get another chance after the first time but here we are."

The way the mere sound of her voice soothed his nerves infuriated him. He could not tolerate someone having such sway over him. And yet thanks to the need's influence, he could not maintain his annoyance toward her existence. Or his anger toward their human blunders.

"This is my fight. I will take if from here." he tersely bit out, moving to leave in a fit of fake rage.

Quinlan knew he needed to leave that place and expel her from him. As quickly as he made the decision another force inside him began working to undermine it. Her bravely impulsive touch stopped him. A simple, quickly retracted, hand on his forearm as he passed. A gesture of easy familiarity similar to ones she'd given the human male. It halted him like a brick wall to the face and made him feel an eagerness to earn more of such simple affections from her. Then and there he knew he would not be able to resist the need. It demanded he stay near her. The future of the human race and undeniable logic demanded he leave her. Balancing the two essentials seemed to be the only way he could move forward.

"You can't do it alone. Just like Abraham couldn't do it alone until he had us. The Master's sunburn was a group effort. Yes, mistakes were made. But you need to come with us. At least until we're safely away from here, the police will get here soon."

She waited with an expectant expression until he curtly nodded once in frustrated consent. Quickly collecting the only nail gun she could spot outside the debris she brought up the front of their triad, leading the way outside.

Fet was waiting for them, leaning against the truck. His face lit up at the sight of her alive and well until his eyes moved to one of the figures behind her.

"You alright? Did we get him?" he questioned with renewed excitement that was short lived when he saw the downtrodden expression on her face.

"You were ten feet off. Almost blew us to bits." she sighed before passing him to enter the truck's rear.

Fet prickled uncomfortably as the unnerving stranger followed her into the back. After throwing himself into the drivers seat he pled his case. "I was working blind up there, ya know? I had to guess where to put them, it's not my fault."

The sound of approaching sirens helped hasten her forgiveness.

"I know, don't worry about it." she called up to him. "Lets go, we need to get out of here. Fast!"

Their getaway was a success. But as they continued toward the city she noticed Fet turning back frequently while he drove. Craning his neck to see the individual who only looked at her.

"Watch the road! You're going to plow us into a pole!" she squawked at him, holding onto her makeshift seat when his eyes returned frontward and he did indeed need to adjust the wheel.

"M' sorry, he's making muncher noises. I can't concentrate with dat in my ear."

She rolled her eyes but did listen more intently. It was the demure continuous noise they all seemed to make unless one was sentient and speaking English at the moment.

"They do that when they breathe, he can't help it." she haughtily explained, jumping to his defense.

Quinlan cut off his quiet churr self consciously. He wanted to appear as human as possible to her and in turn, he assumed, as appealing as possible. Even though it stopped she requested he switch seats with her. She felt guilty he'd been embarrassed into tailoring his natural behavior. Fet happened to avoid a large pothole when they were both standing. The unexpected turbulence sent her smashing into his unfazed frame.

The euphoria returned without warning and she indulged without restraint. This time pressing her face into the rows of small folds situated in the center of his throat, following them down to their end at his collarbones and back up repeatedly. Quinlan locked his legs to keep them steady but lost his grip on his restraint. He bowed his head and sucked in as much of her scent as his lung sack would allow. The rattle of pleasure he released made the driver's eyes leave the road once more.

Fet was horrified to find them embracing. Her running her face all over his repulsive neck vagina. Him twitching his head every which way around the top of hers, eventually lowering to bury it in her hair. It reminded Fet of the way the little monkeys had hovered over Zach's mother the night before. His eyes flickered back to the windshield briefly before returning to them. Movement down lower caught his eye. When he realized it was a snake-like outline squirming underneath the strigoi's black trousers he slammed on the brakes, breaking them apart.

Setrakian looked over at the Ukrainian inquisitively after the sudden jarring, not expecting what he was about to hear.

"Wat de fak is dat!?" Fet demanded with a disturbed finger pointed where they'd both fallen in a heap on the floor. Particularly towards the strigoi's open legs. His accent becoming thicker with his rising emotions. "Dere dicks are supposed ta fall off ven dey turn! Vat de fak?!"

Quinlan was mortified. He felt his appendage sliding back inside his body. The area around his throat pigmented from its usual dark pink to a deep red. Thankfully his embarrassment was overshadowed by her outrage.

"Vasiliy Dmitri Fet!" she screamed as she struggled to her feet. "What the hell is wrong with you today?"

She narrowed her eyes at him when he tried to answer with a hand motioning toward the creature who'd taken up her previous seat. The old man up front let out a long deeply aggravated sigh that the half-vampire behind him sympathized with. Setrakian pinched the bridge of his nose and readied for another pointless time consuming argument.

"If everything I've had to put up with from you today is because of your Amazon queen bringing home a woman, you do love her." she growled out while moving to sit behind him. "You loooove her."

Knowing full well the L word disturbed him more than strigoi stingers she cooed her last sentence from her new seat every time he tried to talk, eventually screeching it right in his ear until he yelled back "He has a DICK!".

Quinlan did not appreciate the childish side this man brought out in his intended. His sensitive ears were ringing with the raised voices that echoed around the truck. He would have gladly killed the human but he sensed despite the way the man frustrated her, she cared for him. And would be displeased if he ended his life.

"They don't have dicks Fet." she monotonously replied.

"I saw-"

"But you sure are being a six foot six giant dick right now! Just drive the damn truck!"

She ignored the retort Fet grumbled under his breath in a foreign language. When the vehicle began moving again her eyes wandered to Quinlan's lap. His throat cleared in an uncharacteristically human sound. Making her gaze flick up to his face and then away bashfully as he closed his legs. They drove in uncomfortable silence until she broke it.

"So what's the deal with the..pheromones..I keep smelling off you?" she inquired with hesitant curiosity.

"If you could bottle that stuff you'd make a fortune. It's better than any sex I've ever had." she added, making sure she said it more than loud enough for their driver to hear.

A deliberate swerve that smacked her head back into the truck's siding delayed his answer briefly. Quinlan threw a quick glare up front while carefully choosing his words.

"That endeavor would not be successful. It is only detectable by a human female capable of carrying my offspring."

She heard him but the moment the last word left his lips their eyes no longer saw each other. Their ears no longer heard the hum of the truck's motor. She was plunged into a world of darkness and confusion. He much the same except for the regret that he had not warned her of what was to come.

Suddenly she could hear ocean waves breaking against solid objects. The smell of salty sea spray filled her nose and her eyes opened slowly to the rocky ceiling of a cave. A pale vampiric face moved into her vision next but she did not fear the woman who loomed over her. Instead a joyful gargle left her mouth and her own tiny clawed fist moved into her line of sight. Reaching for a strand of inky hair that broke away from the scalp in her grasp.

Next came a scene of white toes sifting through tan sand. She could feel the hot sun beating down on her and noticed a slight sting on her naked skin. Her head turned back to the shaded mouth of the cave and her small hand extended outward for the motherly figure to come with her.

"I can not join you. You are special, my little one. The light welcomes you."

The woman's lips did not move, But she heard the words in her mind clearly as if they had. The observation did not alarm her.

Her attention moved to the encroaching waves. Curiosity made her dip a toe into the liquid and a feeling of nausea overwhelmed her when it lapped at her alabaster skin. She did not touch the sea again. Instead she inquisitively approached a pool of water held within rocks, abandoned by the retreating tide. The stillness of it made her feel it was safer to observe than the rolling splashes that chased her every time she crept to the shoreline.

She saw something in it that spooked her. Moving cautiously she leaned over it again. The thing moved as she moved and she realized it was herself. Her reflection. She looked closer in the shiny surface, taking in her own eyes. They were a lighter blue then the sky up above. Her skin appeared whiter than the clouds behind her too. A clicking from the cave called her back and she did not mind rejoining her mother in the darkness.

Many other less significant happy childhood memories rushed into her mind, pausing to elongate only certain ones.

Again the scene changed without warning. This time she found herself easily dragging an unconscious man double her adolescent size, her claws digging into the meaty flesh of his leg for purchase. She felt prideful that she'd maintained her self control well enough to save half of the human's lifeblood to share with her mother. She enjoyed this feeling of accomplishment she gained by providing for the one she held dear. She was imagining how pleased her mother would be that she didn't have to venture out into the countryside that evening to feed when she heard the far off sound of her mother calling to her. Her efforts doubled at the sound and she pushed her muscles harder.

When she reached the entrance to her home she paused in the rising sunlight. Something felt wrong. She could no longer sense her mother's telepathic presence and instead felt a different one. One that made a shiver wrack her spine. She called out to her mother and when she responded she entered with hesitation, dragging her prize along behind her. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness quickly and took in the sight of her beloved mother crumpled on the stony floor, lifeless. The red eyes that glowed back at her were that of the murderer. She turned and ran from her once safe haven. But not before she was forced to hear his disdainful voice welcome her. "Hello, my son. Run as you wish. I will find you."

The first of the few devastating heartbreaks she would experience at the monster's hands made something happen. In her anguish milky water fell from her eyes, scalding paths along her face that she would forever carry as a painful taunting reminder.

* * *

Fet shook her face where it was cradled between his enormous hands and yelled her name again. Setrakian observed the suspected hybrid in a state similar to hers. Unresponsive and twitching, slouched against the metal wall, eyelids fluttering madly like a butterfly struggling to flee a spider's web.

"I didna mean to make her hit her head so hard swervin'. You think she's knocked out? Er s' this somethin' to do with the creeper?" he asked in a panicked tone. "Professor vhat is happening to her?"

The old man looked between the two incapacitated figures and then back to the large man. Who was desperately looking to him for an explanation.

"I..I don't know the answer to that Mr. Fet but I have an inkling as to what he may be." he supplied with a tilt of his fedora-topped head toward the unconscious male. "I need to consult a scroll I have at home, we must go."

Fet opened his mouth to argue that they needed to do something for her right away. The sudden feeling of hot liquid running over his thumbs stopped him. He turned back to find tears spilling down her face but no other changes or signs of improvement. He looked over his shoulder to see if there had been any changes in the strigoi's condition when her violent gasp for air made him jump out of his skin. He caught sight of the monster doing the same briefly before turning his attention to her. Her eyes were wild and frantic, bouncing from the ceiling to his face and then the tin walls around them. Fet could feel her trembling and a confused whimper slipped out between her inhales. He released her face to wrap his arms around her.

"Sshh sshh it's okay. Fet's here."

Her eyes were wide and they remained locked with the pale blue ones across from her. Their pants for breath were synchronized, heaving in harmony. Even when Fet pulled back to hold her at arms length and look her over, her eyes stayed joined with Quinlan's. Completely ignoring him.

"You scared da chit outta me. I thought you were gonna croak on me and I'd never get that first date." Fet joked, moving a hand up to stroke her cheek.

The mention of his 'better late than never' method of showing his apparent affections for her snapped her out of her shock. She gave him a flat look and leaned away from his hand, pushing him away so she could stand up. She was still breathing heavily. Acting erratically, almost pacing in the limited space until she headed for the back door.

"Ey, where you going?"

Fet tried stopping her, intending to force her to sit down and rest for a minute after whatever it was that she'd just gone through. She shrugged off his touch and raised the truck's door with an echoing slam. Still lightly panting puffs of breath into the chilly late afternoon air. She only stopped at the edge due to the quiet sound of Quinlan's diplophonic voice.

"The exchange of our past experiences will continue without warning. It would be wise to retire to a secure location."

She hesitated at the vague explanation he gave for what she'd just undergone. The urge to yell and scream at him for answers spiked and waned just as quickly. If what he said was true she knew it would be idiotic to be caught out in the streets incapacitated and defenseless. Unfortunately rational actions were not first on her agenda. Such as the intimate action something inside her body was urging her to partake in with a strigoi. At the moment her mind was a chaotic swirl of memories and feelings that weren't her own along with ones that did belong to her. The intense want to escape the overwhelming situation she'd been hurled into ultimately won.

"I have things to do. Errands to run. I'll be home in a couple of hours. Have someone start chopping vegetables for me." she replied in general without turning around to face the truck's occupants.

Even though her body was yelling out with a distressingly strong force that she should return to Quinlan like two magnets. She kept walking.

"I must also take my leave." The dhampir announced while rising to his feet. "Professor I shall call on you accordingly."

The two men stood there at the end of the truck's bed, mouths agape. Watching as he flipped his hood up and headed in the opposite direction she'd gone.

"Let's get you home to your library so we can figure out what de hell is going on around here."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** _A big thank you to those of you who gave feedback. And thank you everyone who took the time to read chapter one. You guys have no idea how monumental it is that I squeezed out a second chapter. (My Reedus character readers from previous fics probably want to murder me right now, and if any of them have crossed over, hi guys!) My writing hasn't been on par for a long time and lately I end up unable to produce anything more than a first chapter. (I should probably stick to oneshots since I'm so inconsistent but when people ask for more I have a hard time saying no.)_

 _This will be the last chapter that contains image edits because they're so time consuming (even though they look crappy) but I will continue to make a promo poster for each future chapter like I always have. (FanFictionNet readers can disregard that part, you guys are probably like "wtf is she talking about?")_ _I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you did the first._

* * *

Despite the feeling of anxiety that grew the further she walked and the longer she was separated from the creature her body craved. The moment she turned a corner out of their sight she started running. The leftover tear stains on her cheeks stung against the bitter winter wind. They made the final heart wrenching memory she'd experienced return to the forefront of her mind.

The weight of its sadness combined with the burning in her exhausted legs made her collapse against the nearest building's brick wall. She hadn't run far but her out of shape body was struggling for air, deep desperate breathing that was part of why she was so rarely selected to partake in the group's missions. Gradually the heavy breathing attributed to her poor health evolved into continuous hyperventilation.

Quinlan had located her easily thanks to the rapidly solidifying connection between them. That, and she hadn't exactly been stealthy during her distressed fleeing. He found her with knees drawn up into her body and her head held between her hands. His eyes widened in a disturbed way at the hysteric state of her breathing pattern.

"Are you having an attack of the panic? Do you require medication?"

The questions of concern made her eyes snap open and her body jerk. Her gloved right hand shot toward the inside of her jacket out of instinct. She stopped reaching for her weapon when the strange accent and turn of phrase registered in her mind. Instead of lifting her head to look at him she flung her arm and wrist outward, fluttering her hand to silently shoo him away while her rasping gasps continued.

He stood there awkwardly staring down at her. Momentarily at a loss for how to calm her. With a quick scan of the area for any approaching dangers Quinlan lowered himself to the snow-dusted concrete beside her. Not knowing how to take charge of the situation made him uneasy. His first had never exhibited this sort of behavior. His head tuned to observe the way her fingers were weaved through the hair behind her temples, kneading the area. His gaze moved backward to the thick mane on her head, switching quickly to her down-turned face to see her eyes squeezed shut tight.

Wanting to console her in some way he chose a partially selfish act. A black suede glove was removed. His naked hand hovered above her head hesitantly for a few seconds before he lowered it gently. Her hair was coarse in consistency, strong and durable. Its lack of softness did not offend him as he drug his hand down toward the back of her skull. In what he hoped would be a soothing gesture. Up close he could see the color was a dark brown. Not the inky black it appeared as from a distance.

When he reached the ends of her strands at the middle of her back and she made no sound of protest, he began again. Playing with his first's curls had been his favorite pastime with her. It had become a hobby of his to dress his wife and daughter's hair each morning before he left to work his fields. He'd enjoyed the handling of that which he did not have. So much that he would have become an ornatrice if it had not been a slave-held position at the time.

At first she'd compared the way he touched her to that of a person petting a cat. But as he continued stroking her tresses she realized it was helping. The hopelessness was receding and her breathing was slowly coming under her control but the issues that'd triggered her were still firmly planted next to her. She turned to him sluggishly, moving her cheek to rest on one of the arms laid across her kneecaps. His hand retreated with her panicked breaths, leaving her to collect her thoughts as she stared at him and he stared back.

"There's been some kind of screw up. I don't know what this is.." she began with a hand gesturing between him and herself, referring to the overwhelming mass of unfounded emotions and sensations she felt for someone she'd met an hour ago. "..but I'm not the right girl for the job."

Quinlan remained reserved through her continued explanation.

"I'm not…I can't fight like…" She sighed with vexation. "I've survived this outbreak off fifty percent dumb luck, thirty percent someone else saving my ass and twenty percent me actually fighting. I'm a coward who has unintentional episodes of bravery. I'm the one they leave at home to watch the kid, cook the food, and do the laundry. If this were a tv show I'd be the first character the writers kill off. I worked at Kinko's for fucks sake. I'm not a biochemist, I'm not a bomb-happy vampire exterminator, or a brilliant computer hacker. Or anyone who can make a real difference in this war. I'd be the human body shield on the front line. You deserve someone who can hold their own and who looks…"

"Jesus, look at you. You're really hot." she muttered with a disbelieving shake of her head.

"My temperature is naturally one hundred and five degrees Fahrenheit." he replied in a confused tone.

She ducked her head and rubbed her fingers over her forehead in frustration, slightly embarrassed at how much she'd blurted out.

"No, hot as in attractive, you deserve someone physically attractive like you are."

Quinlan released a pleased preening noise once he understood her compliment. When she'd studied him inside the Master's lair he'd been afraid the only thing attracting her was his enticing odor.

He didn't answer straight away, glancing over her hunched form quickly. It was true she wasn't conventionally beautiful like his first. If he'd had the urge or the free will to pick a mate of his own choosing he would not have selected her. Just as he suspected she in turn would not have selected him despite him having certain features that were considered aesthetically pleasing by some human women. In the end it mattered little to him. The need still made him feel intense desire toward her even if she was not what he would usually consider desirable.

"Despite how you perceive yourself, there is no error. You are the one meant to carry the second generation of born."

She stiffened beside him. The words he'd spoken just before she'd blacked out ran through her mind.

"That's another reason I'm all wrong. I don't really like kids. I end up fighting with Zach half the time because he's such a little shit and I don't have patience for him. I'm not good with kids. One of the first things I ask a man before I date him is whether or not he wants children."

He almost chuckled and simply replied, "In time you will uncharacteristically desire to reproduce, the need will make it so."

Her forehead dropped to rest in the palm of her hand and she groaned. "You sound just like my mother."

Quinlan felt the crushing sadness that washed over her after she referenced the way her mom used to constantly nag for grandchildren. And insist that she would magically want her own bundle of pooping joy one day.

"How are you even out in the daylight right now? I saw your memories by the ocean but… Strigoi lose their genitals when..but you were… I just… I'm sorry, I can't.

When she abruptly stood and walked away from him he let her go without objection, knowing the abnormal burden she'd been saddled with was overwhelming her. He kept a close watch on her from a distance.

The weathered and crease riddled map she frequently consulted reminded him that she was not a native to the disgraceful excuse for a city. In what little time she'd viewed the beginning of his life, his superior brain had absorbed the short entirety of hers. He recalled she'd been clutching that very map when the vacation she'd been on with her parents had ended horribly a few weeks ago.

The direction she picked headed straight towards the part of the city that'd been most effected. He chose rooftops to host his vigil whenever it was convenient. Where he could better scout for any dangers approaching her.

When she entered a shadowed alleyway and kneeled down next to a strigoi that'd had its skull bashed in, his own tilted in confusion. He watched her rifle through the body's pockets and extract a wallet. She opened it to study something inside before crossing herself and muttering a prayer almost too softly for his ears to hear. The money she pocketed made him let out a small sigh of annoyance. He had an abundance thanks to the wealth he'd acquired over time and the generous amount the Ancients paid him regularly. He would have gladly given her as much as she needed rather than have her potentially exposing herself to worms. She repeated this practice with every corpse she came across that had not been disintegrated by that day's sun.

His aggravation doubled when she ran her hand along the call buttons to a nearby housing development and eventually disappeared inside when someone buzzed her in. He was forced to follow her by sound until one of the many doorknobs she tried finally turned under her hand on the third floor. Quinlan moved to watch her on the building's fire escape as she entered. She had her makeshift weapon drawn and he could hear her heart rate speed up with every trespassing step she took.

"Hello? Anyone home?" she called out when she reached the open area of the living room.

The screech that answered made Quinlan ready to crash through the window should she need saving. True to her earlier scrutinization of herself, he'd seen through her memories it was nothing short of a miracle or someone else intervening that she was still alive.

When her nails did not succeed in puncturing the creature's thick skull she dropped to the floor. Narrowly dodging a stinger to the face by tripping over herself. In a rare show of quick thinking she grabbed a pair of knitting needles from a yarn basket she landed next to. The smell of her fear and panicked adrenaline made him fidget uncomfortably while he watched her struggle to her feet. She counter-circled the vampire granny, waiting with baited panicky breaths. When the stinger shot towards her again she lunged. Shoving the pointed ends up into its eye socket forcefully until it let out one last wretched sound and collapsed on the rug.

She looked away from the gruesome sight and let out a short scream. Her body visibly jolted at the surprising sight of him crouched behind the window. A frown was thrown his way before she moved to the couch, grabbing a knitted throw. He felt another wave of sadness emit from her as she covered the body and imagined the woman's grandchildren finding her like that. She repeated her earlier ritual on one knee, asking her god to take the soul she had put to rest.

Again he was vexed by her trivial pursuit of the green bills she collected from a purse on a nearby table. The vegetables she rooted from the fridge and the cans she plucked from the cupboards were squirreled away in the endless array of pockets her olive green coat held. Without a glance backwards at him or the body she shut the door behind her as she left.

Once more the familiar map was consulted when she exited out into the fading afternoon light. After several blocks he was forced to follow her on the ground, the surrounding building's rooftops being too high up to easily drop from should she need assistance. Up ahead he could hear the faint sound of glass breaking and unruly humans clamoring to steal.

He noted the way she hesitated in front of the electronic store's smashed display window. When she turned to check both ends of the street for police he ducked behind a parked car. Fairly sure she would not be happy about his continued decision to stalk her. The long burgundy winter scarf that'd kept her throat warm was readjusted and rationed to wrap around her face. Concealing her identity while guilt radiated off her in waves. He straightened when she climbed through the gaping hole and into the chaos.

Moments later Quinlan heard "Son of a bitch did you just shoot me with a nail gun?" come from a male voice.

Her answered yell of "That's what you get, maybe you shouldn't punch ladies in the face!" enraged him.

Approaching sirens made the looters scatter but this time it was not her he stalked. The palatable smell of fresh blood led him to a man whimpering while he struggled to pull a silver metal bolt from the crook of his arm. He had not sensed any pain from his intended but he believed a male who assaulted any female was not fit to continue breathing. The pain in the man's arm was short lived as Quinlan quickly drained the color from his face.

Catching up to her was an easy task. He spied her weaving through early evening traffic with a box tucked under her arm. Headed toward one of the few shops that had its lights burning against the encroaching darkness. She'd just reached the sidewalk's curb when she collapsed and he cursed himself for not being close enough to catch her before she hit the cement.

Thankfully in the hustle and bustle of the big city he went unnoticed as he drug her limp body into the relative safety of a nearby alleyway. He returned to retrieve the box. The hairless skin above his eyes furrowed when he read the description to a game console on the outside.

He set it beside her and sat on the ground next to a dumpster before pulling her unresponsive body into his lap. Her head was situated to lay against his chest while he stroked her hair and worried over what horrors of his past she was viewing.

* * *

Fear. She felt so much fear. They were chasing her. So many of them in gleaning armor brandishing spears and swords. She took many of their lives before they took her. So much pain. Her pain and shackles were soon traded for a sword, knowledge, and the free reign to conquer. The flashes of battle and experience were broken and brief but traumatically scarring.

A lavishly decorated palace triclinium appeared around her. She awkwardly fiddled with the pristine toga that draped around her marble chest. Trying her hardest to avoid eye contact with the various maidens that tried to engage her. She felt out of place there, used to the carnage and savage victory of the battlefield. The sexual activities going on around her did not interest her past a brief study of the human copulation mechanics. She did not feel the sexual desire she felt burning in the people around her. There was no carnal hunger for supple flesh inside her just as she did not hunger for the feast laid out around her. No want for companionship… no _need_. It made her feel more inhuman than anything had before. She did not turn back when the patrons called out to their guest of honor. She did not return to silence the whispered rumors and insults from those who hailed her a conquering hero to her face. Her sandals continued carrying her to the isolation of her chamber where she could contemplate her existence alone.

Suddenly the ornate mosaic floor beneath her toes gave way and she found herself riding atop a steed. The north African sun tested her endurance but she persevered, not willing to show weakness in front of her troops. Many of the men wished to make camp up ahead adjacent to a brothel and slaver's market. With a silent nod of consent her second in command spread the word of their reward and many cheers rose from legions behind her. She'd been scouting an appropriate area to pitch their tents when the torturous scent found her. She could not discern where it came from in the chaotic scene of bidding for bodies.

Strange feelings she'd never felt inside her own body alarmed her. She'd felt similar sensations secondhand from the humans around her at orgies, but never pure of origin in her own being. Confusion, frustration, desire, and the undeniable need to find the human that the scent belonged to overwhelmed her. The horse she dismounted was left to stray and wonder the sandy plains while she prowled the tents like a creature possessed.

Underneath the stench of unwashed bodies and despair she found what she craved. A cage in the rear corner of the most crowded tent held the precious jewel she sought. They all cowered away from her, huddling together while they shook with fear. Her sharp sense of smell sorted through the human heap for her and her unnaturally light eyes locked with a pair of dark brown ones. It took great restraint to quiet the inhuman animalistic growl of pleasure that welled up inside her when she sampled another deep inhale. She could smell the terror exuding from the woman as she realized she'd been chosen and it did not suit her. She did not want this rare creature her body yearned for fearing her. She pledged herself to being a proper husband to the woman instead of a master.

She was so bewitched by the Berber slave's aroma she did not notice her seller's approach until a price was being announced beside her. She afforded it easily and the slaver was enthusiastic at her failure to haggle the amount. When her selection was plucked from her captivity a shrill screaming sounded out and the woman's heartbreak pierced her own organ like a pilum. A brief exchange in Arabic told her the waif of a child the woman was trying to hold onto had been begotten by the slave's dead husband, a slain soldier of an enemy army. She purchased the woman's dark haired daughter as well without second thought. The unexpected token of kindness made the woman look up at her in awe before her eyes lowered to the ground as protocol dictated.

That evening when her clawed hand reached out for her wife's freshly bathed flesh the olive complexioned woman cringed and whimpered. Her chosen one knew her place and her duty. She did not run from her new owner despite her dread. The need inside her was all consuming, a hunger like nothing she'd ever felt before, even when humans were in the throes of passion. But she resoluted not to sate that hunger until the bitter tang of fear no longer wafted from her intended when she approached. In another bewildering act of kindness she left the woman trembling beside the bed without a word. Instead, laying her milky body next to the woman's sleeping child, eventually cradling the little one in her arms while the mother watched with terrified gratitude.

A handful of short happy years were all that were allotted her before her simple love-filled life was destroyed once more. This time as she wept over their lifeless bodies she used her painful tears to sear a stripe along the middle of her head. A permanent reminder that she could never again neglect her duty to kill the Master in favor of her own needs.

* * *

Quinlan unraveled the dark red makeshift mask from around her face while he waited. He studied the way her eyes spasmed and it made him recall the first time he had experienced the swap with his wife. Knowing he'd been this vulnerable in front of the old man and the large one displeased him. Showing weakness during their first impression of him had not been his intention. But he was reassured his effectiveness in battle would wipe the embarrassing incident from their minds.

Salty droplets rolling from the corners of her eyes made his mind return to wondering what she was absorbing. His mental question was soon answered when she violently awakened in his arms. After initial hyperactive breathing was calmed by noises he released meant to soothe. Her gloved hand rose up to trace the mark extending the length of his head. He felt a hurricane of emotions battling inside her. Fear, disgust, impressed wonder, pride, endearment, love, and pity.

"I get it now. I'll do it. Just give me some time…I..there was so much."

He nodded to her and intensified his purr though he was not happy with her effort to remove herself from his embrace. She situated herself to sit next to him and then did not speak for many reflective minutes. Blankly staring at the brick wall across from them in an unhinged manner.

"You've killed so many people." She eventually whispered into the dusk. "And..you liked it..at first. Their screams… I.. I enjoyed it through you too. I didn't have a choice. I had to feel that until you got bored…"

"Yes." He answered honestly. "There was a time when I enjoyed the savagery of the arena and the bloodshed of battle."

He supposed his memories of the bloodlust were where her feelings of horror and disgust came from.

"The need you talked about…" she muttered with even more horror. "It's like a itch that'll drive you nuts. But you didn't touch her. I would have raped her..I couldn't control your body in your memory to make it do what I wanted..but if I could have I would have…" Now the disgust she felt was at her own lack of willpower. "You were so good to her no matter how much it killed you not to…"

"Is that what you're feeling right now? Is that what you really feel towards me?" she asked in disbelief. "I mean me? Come on. I'm not even wearing makeup today."

"Intensify it tenfold. The urge and attraction is much more demanding this time." he elaborated while his eyes traced over her clothing swaddled body.

His scary admission made her scoot a little further away. If she herself had lost all moral control inside the captive prison of his body in memory form during the lesser degree of temptation. She could not imagine the level of self restraint he was exercising at the moment.

"Why is it so much stronger this time?" she wondered aloud, self consciously tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Perhaps it is due to my past failure to reproduce." he offered in reference to his refusal to bed his first unless she had wished it.

The memories of many sexually frustrated evenings spent with a sack of hay wedged between his unruly member and his peacefully sleeping wife's backside made her let out a snort of laughter.

"Sucks to be you. I'm sorry you're stuck with me." she quickly elaborated, hoping he did not think she'd been making light of his status as a two thousand year old virgin.

Instead of responding he continued to let her babble in an overwhelmed haze while her stressed brain struggled to sort through all it had obtained.

"I saw her memories too when you got them. They're in my head with the rest..it's all so much. There was so much pain. She..her life. It's so hard to believe the world was so…But I saw it with your eyes. Your little girl.. The singing.. The night she.. She didn't even smell the pheromones for almost a year.."

"Why is it happening so much faster for me? Is it all the chemicals in today's food?" she rhetorically asked with a confused shake of her head.

"I know not. It simply is."

"How can you be so calm!" she snapped, her befuddled state breaking way to panic once again. "Feeling like you intimately know a complete stranger on a level no two people should ever be familiar with each other in the span of a few hours is not normal! I have traumatic things in my head now I should have never seen! And even though I should only be feeling deeply disturbed right now, all I want to do is jump your bones! And I keep saying things to you I would normally never say out loud and I can't stop..and…and!"

"It deeply disturbs me you wish to jump over my remains." he retorted with dry humor she didn't catch, intended to keep another anxiety attack at bay.

His quip made her assume the head between knees position and he felt as though he'd failed.

"See! Oh my god. How are we supposed to have a relationship when we're so different. Every time I open my mouth I say something you don't understand the context of. It was so much easier for you and her, you were both from the same time… It's… Ugh."

"I look forward to learning such modern phrases from you." he calmly offered. "I hear things from the days of old are immensely popular now as well."

The positivity he was trying to exude only made her more cynical.

"The sixties might be back in style but I think Ancient Roman is pushing it a little as far as vintage things being in style goes."

The flat look she was giving him quickly changed to one of alarm when that unique delectable scent reached her nostrils again. She was on her feet surprisingly fast, bending swiftly to collect her stolen box. The sensation that made her aware of him rising and moving to follow caused her to huff. And turn on him when they were back out in the open on the street's walk.

"I said I do, but can you give me some space!? You've been my damn shadow since we met! I'm going to need serious therapy to cope with the shit I've seen through you! Jesus, you'd need a whole team of psychologists. I feel like my brain is having a hard enough time dealing with this and I can't handle being roofied by your swirly bits right now! I need a clear head!"

The displeased noise he let out and the brief flash of hurt that colored his expression made her regret her flippant words immediately.

"I'm sorry. I just need some time alone. This is all very hard for me to process. After being single for so long suddenly having a boyfriend assigned to me would freak me out even if all this extra supernatural stuff wasn't going on."

He could feel her remorse was genuine. But he restrained his reply to a quick nod out of defensive instinct. He'd lived with his strigoi half reigning supreme for so long it was difficult to resist slipping back into its cold blank state for his own emotional protection.

"When this is all over we are so going to couples counseling!" she called out to his retreating back with a hint of humor.

As overwhelmed as she may have been by his constant presence. The rebellious thing that'd taken up residence in her body made her instantly yearn for him to come back.

"God, I'm such an asshole." she muttered to herself under her breath before turning to the storefront.

Through the bars she could see the storeowner emptying his register with hasty shaking hands. While his head darted up towards a clock on the opposite wall every few seconds. The meat behind a glass case needed putting away. The dirty snow slush and salt covered floor needed mopping. She could see despite his paranoia there was still much work to be done before he could close. When she reached through to knock on the glass she was waved away.

"You're too late it's almost dark!" he called out as she continued knocking with a determined tight-lipped expression.

A dark haired woman with streaks of grey framing her face emerged from a back room at the commotion. She watched as the older woman argued with her husband in Italian, her aggressive hand movements pointing in the potential customer's direction. She took the opportunity to dig the wad of stolen cash from one of her pockets and press it against the window.

"Please! I'm not going to rob you, I have money!"

The storekeeper's wife raised a threatening flour covered rolling pin in his direction and held out a demanding hand for the keys. "Idiota!"

The woman's demeanor warmed as she approached, giving her an inviting smile and shaking her head while throwing a hand back in her ridiculous husband's direction. Though the woman's ridicule worked in her favor she knew the man had good reason to worry over the encroaching darkness.

"Rápidamente! Hurry, make it fast." he ordered at her once she was ushered inside.

She didn't need to be told twice. Her box was quickly deposited on the counter along with the entire handful of money.

"I need three pounds of the chuck beef, shoulder cut if you have it instead of rump please! And a pint of your cheapest bourbon or whisky!" she called out while speed walking away.

The man's eyes briefly followed her back to the wine section before they moved to the thick bundle of money. More than enough to buy out half his store. She returned to the counter with three bottles of the same brand and darted over to the produce section just as quickly. He was grateful she seemed to understand his urgency and he felt a pang of worry for the young woman as he moved to package her meat. He hoped she did not have far to travel home and felt thankful the safety of his house was just a short distance up a flight of indoor stairs.

She wasn't bothered by the way the older woman followed to observe her every move. Considering the immoral behavior of the city's occupants in wake of the chaos she didn't blame her. Instead she used the woman as an extra set of hands. Loading vegetables and bread into her empty arms with a sheepish smile and a shared understanding between the two despite the woman not speaking English.

When they approached the counter together and unloaded their bounty she was faced with the new problem of too many bags for her arms to carry. While the clerk continued punching numbers into the register she liberated the wine bottles from their paper bag. She was given an odd look as she began stuffing one down the front of her hooded sweatshirt. Despite the awkwardness she kept maneuvering it until it sat between her breasts, held in place by an underwire that she prayed would not break. The other two were nestled into the deepest pockets her coat had to offer on each side, their corked tops poking out.

"Can I use that bag for this instead?" she requested, moving a hand to rest on top of the Playstation box.

He uttered a few words to his wife who had already rounded the counter to bag her purchases and the brown paper was shimmied over her stolen good. A knowing look was exchanged by the couple but they said nothing, not concerned enough as long as it wasn't their merchandise she was stealing. As soon as the groceries were packed she was arranging the three bags so the long loaves of fresh bread poking from the top did not block her vision.

"Just keep the change." she quickly insisted as the man continued entering prices into the box in front of them.

They escorted her out like doting grandparents, him thanking her in English, her spouting out many happy words she couldn't understand. The woman even reached over the bags to kiss both her cheeks and bless her for her generosity.

Outside in the dusk of early nightfall she could practically feel her good mood shift into uneasy fear. Her blackout hadn't been part of the plan when she'd been factoring in how much time she'd had to make it back before dark. Now there she was, saddled down with bottles hanging near her thighs that made fast walking difficult and bags dominating her arms. Rendering her defenseless unless she dropped her groceries quick enough. She hesitated before setting out, looking up and down the street, not really wanting to move from the shop window's falsely reassuring glow. She caught herself wishing she hadn't sent her pale shadow away.

That same troublesome thing that now dominated her emotions told her to look up. The urge rewarded her with a granted wish and she found him crouched at the edge of the building's roof. He looked as though he was absorbed with something. She speculated that if he were paying attention instead of being lost in his mind at the moment. He wouldn't have allowed her to see he was still watching over her.

Something gold was worried between his gloves but she couldn't see exactly what from her vantage point. While he turned the item and ran his fingers over it he gazed off toward the middle of the street. His eyes did not move from the spot and his face was its usual expressionless mask. But something about his almost white orbs seemed..haunted. He looked so emotionally detached yet traumatized at the same time.

Quinlan had left giving the appearance of his departure but he'd easily circled back while she'd been begging for entrance to the shop. He had a hunch this was an unhealthy behavior to practice in a normal…relationship. But he considered it necessary thanks to his intended's history of clumsy near death experiences. Relationship. The word made him feel a giddy fluttering much like another one she'd used while apologizing for raging at him.

"Boyfriend." he murmured to himself, evaluating how the present-day term rolled off his tongue.

He felt it was an inadequate title for himself in relation to their bond. An understatement. He preferred husband but he recalled the vague detail that there were more steps of commitment to be reached first in this day and age. Something that started with an F. He reached back through her short archive and examined the past event of her cousin's engagement party. Briefly he shuddered at the pain of walking in high heeled torture devices before the word came to him. Though he'd found what he was searching for he contently continued watching the mental replay of that evening.

Until the outbreak she'd lived a mundane existence filled with happiness and love. He enjoyed immersing himself in her average memories and life experiences. They gave him a taste of what modern human normalcy felt like. Much unlike his first's memories that'd been filled with the cruelties of a slave's life and the unhappiness of her first forced arranged marriage.

A heavy sigh laced with guilt and regret left him in the form of a hot foggy cloud. He reached into the inner breast pocket of his military style coat. Next to his heart where he kept his most prized possession. The medallion's gold backing had stood the test of time quite well. But the minimalist stone etching in the middle had faded over the years. Particularly the female outline from all the times he'd forlornly rubbed his fingers over it.

Quinlan engaged in the repetitive action as his eyes left the pendent and his mind moved to his current doomed situation. The need urged him to forget stopping the Master's endeavor for world domination in favor of taking her somewhere peaceful and secluded. It wanted nothing to do with reason or common sense. It wanted what it wanted with no regard for rationality. He knew that course of inaction would decimate human kind and they would eventually be hunted down by mass hordes of the Master's creations. The need's corrupting influence even momentarily made him consider the offer his father had made him centuries ago. Despite the temptation he knew what had to be done. Even with the uncertainty of what would happen after the Master's last breath looming over him..

A painful twinge in her arms made her stop watching him and start walking. She let out a couple loud coughs to make sure he wasn't so wrapped up in his musings that he didn't notice she'd left. A sly way to keep up the illusion that she was unaware of his presence. As she continued she noticed how nearly empty the streets were and how eerily quiet the normally bustling city was. If it weren't so unnatural she would have enjoyed the tranquility but at the moment all it seemed to do was magnify the noise she made every time she moved. She mentally acknowledged that she was going to have huge bottle shaped bruises on her thighs as she soldiered on but she knew she deserved them.

The underhanded reason she believed she deserved such pain pushed its way into her brain and she started stressing over what she was going to say when she arrived home. She knew she couldn't blame it all on Fet. He hadn't forced her. She'd done it willingly and eagerly in the heat of the selfish moment. Her self absorbed thoughts and clanking movements kept the sound of a swishing sword and a decapitated head falling to the ground from reaching her ears. Blissfully unaware of the danger that'd been half a block behind her.

"Come i-"

The static-riddled word and a half that came from one of her pockets made her startle. Almost losing her hold on the bags. The familiarity of Setrakian's voice registered in her mind and she quickened her pace the best she could.

"Ashly come in. It is urgent. Where are you?"

A distressed Ukrainian accent sounded from her pocket next.

"M' sorry I was a dick earlier Ash but goddamnit answer us!"

An aggravated huff left her but she was touched by the concern in their voices. They'd most likely expected her back before nightfall. There was no telling how long they'd been trying to reach her. A nearby newspaper vending machine relieved the strain on her now shaky arms and she rummaged through her overflowing pockets for what she needed.

"I'm here. I just got within range." she answered into the walkie-talkie while scanning the area around her now that she had the opportunity.

The steaming headless body lying in the direction she'd just come from made her eyes widen. She was thankful he hadn't listened to her earlier outburst and demands for solitude.

"Have you by any chance once more encountered the individual we met earlier today?" the old man quickly asked her with purpose in his tone.

She did not get to answer before a rambunctious and oddly excited voice sounded from the box.

"Did you know he was a gladiator like Spartacus?! They called him the Night Demon of Sicily!"

The gruesome memories she now carried of his entertainment days stopped her from sharing in the boy's enthusiasm.

"Yeah..kind of..that's cool Zach, give the radio back to the Professor."

There was no reply for many seconds and she pictured Fet, the child, and the old man struggling for control of the device.

"Have you seen The Born again? Do you have any idea where he may reside?" Setrakian demanded, frantic the way he seemed to become any time they developed a lead.

"He's been following me ever since I split up with you guys. I can't see him right now.." she responded, pausing to look up at the rooftops around her. "..but I'm sure he's close."

"Are you certain?" he asked her skeptically.

She let out a short annoyed sigh. Thanks to her newly acquired Quin-dar she was more than certain.

"Just come out! I know you're there. I can feel you!" she called out into the night with her finger absentmindedly held down the talk button.

Quinlan dropped down with his woolen coat flapping behind him and his sudden appearance did not surprise her. She was beginning to get used to him popping out of thin air. The thing inside her welcomed it.

"Yes, I'm certain." she monotonously droned into the speaker.

"You must bring him in. Persuade him any way you can, he is invaluable to our cause."

Her eyes bulged at the Professor's order. She looked tentatively up at the ashen face who's naked brow-muscles were raised at her expectantly. She turned away from him to imitate the false illusion of privacy. Knowing full well he was able to hear from great distances.

"Like..bring him in, bring him in?" she nervously asked in a whisper.

"Yes." was strongly replied back to her like the Professor was vexed and the reason why sounded out before he had the chance to cut it off.

"Ask him if he has a stinger!"

The rudeness of Zach's question made her cringe a little and move her hand to cover the walkie's speaker uselessly. She threw an apologetic look over her shoulder at him and ended the conversation.

"We're five streets away, we'll be home soon." she bit out before turning off the handheld's power knob hastily.

Ashly shoved it back in its designated pocket and turned to face him. She sniffed some snot back up into her runny nose while the freezing wind whipped up snow drifts around them. She'd never been the one to bring a new member into their group before. Like Fet had done with her almost a month prior. She could only imagine the gossiping hysteria going on back at the compound at the moment. And there was no doubt in her mind that every single one of them had been huddled around listening during the communications.

"If you follow me any further than here it means you stay with us. And I'm not just talking about you working with us against the Master. It means you're apart of our family too."

Quinlan exuded a surprised click. There was no question that he saw her as much more than kin. He comprehended how important such a commitment was to her. In the wake of losing the only family she'd known all her life. She'd latched onto the obsession of molding a new one from the people around her. He knew her deepest fears. Such as the one that once the epidemic was no longer keeping them holed up together, they would all go their separate ways. Leaving her to return to her distant home alone and face the losses she'd been avoiding. He would do it for her. But he worried his patience for human stupidity might not extend as far as the members of her improvised family.

"I understand. I will be honored to join your kindred." he consented with a bit of exaggeration to hide his uncertainty.

The small smile she gave him was enough to bribe his tolerance no matter their level of ignorance. A wayward person walking by with their coat collar hunched high against the cold made him take liberties with her, bringing her close into himself. She was thankful for the warmth inside the open expanse of his coat and the copious amount of mucus that shielded her from any possible fragranced influence. When the benign figure passed they pulled apart.

"Alright, first thing's first." she began, unwrapping the cardinal hued knit from around her neck. "You can't just walk around in public with this thing hanging out in the open. People are getting smarter and your..um..your neck ornament is a dead giveaway."

"I believe the technical term for my sire brand is wattle." he informed her while bowing his head to allow her to wrap the scarf around him. "Such as the colorful flesh that hangs from a fowl's neck to aid in attracting potential mates and sexual dimorphism."

It was the most words she'd heard him speak at once. But she could not look at him with a straight face when he stood upright. Quinlan tilted his head in confusion and made an inquisitive sound at her struggle to keep quiet. A snort escaped and then deep laughter came next. It was the first time in a while that the happy sound wasn't forced for faked by her. Normally a human laughing at him for any reason would not have been tolerated. Instead the need made something odd happen to his face he could not help.

"I'm sorry but that sounds like the word waddle, like how a duck waddles." she explained through her tittering. "I think I'll just stick to swirly bits or cinnamon buns."

The smile thinning his plump lips and lifting the wide slits in the corners of his mouth looked out of place on his normally stoic features. Almost creepy if for some reason the sight hadn't made her feel instant delighted joy. She found she liked it, mimicking it with her own mouth while her laughter dwindled and she reached up to adjust the scarf. Hiding all of his oddities. Next she leaned into him to reach his hood, pulling it up to drape over his head and cover his pointed ears. She stepped back to examine him.

"You look… human. Kind of. Except for the human bone poking out over your shoulder… That just makes you look like a psychopath."

"Does my weapon frighten you?" he inquired as she moved to collect her bags.

He took the heaviest one before she could grab it and they continued down the snowy walk side by side. The material concealing his throat was saturated in her scent and it made him struggle to repress his urges. Never the less, he cherished the token.

"It should freak me out 'cause I'm walking on a femur just like it. But apparently I'm not allowed to be scared of you or anything like that."

"You feel fear when you look into my eyes." he countered.

"Yeah sometimes but it's not because I'm scared of you. My cousin had this husky that always tried to bite me when I was little-" she started to explain when he cut in.

"Yes, his name was Jake if I recall. I see the resemblance of our eyes."

"How much have you seen?" she asked with dread and the hope that he hadn't gotten to the awkward teenage portion of her life yet.

"Everything."

A sputtering sound came from her and he turned to see her eyes expand, genuinely fearful. "Everything?!"

"Everything from your earliest memory to your final thoughts and feelings before the first encounter." he admitted much to her horror.

That meant he'd experienced everything from her learning how to put a tampon in to Fet screwing her brains out hours earlier and so much more. He felt her intense embarrassment and feeling of violation before it was influenced away. And then her momentary frustration at her emotions being auto-corrected before that too was erased.

"That's so not fair. You know everything about me and I feel like I only know some of you but at the same time it feels like I know all of you. But that doesn't make sense. I don't think I've even gotten through half your life yet. It's hard to tell because you didn't age past a certain point and I failed all my history classes but I haven't gotten to the Jesus times yet."

"Does that mean I'm going to keep randomly passing out and you're done passing out? Is that why you were already there when I woke up last time? How long is this going to take? Did you meet any famous people? Never mind, no spoilers."

Her rush of questions were calmly answered in order while he hoped to keep another overwhelmed attack from happening. He had more empathy for her situation than she knew.

"You will continue to receive my experiences abruptly. As I advised earlier, you should not be gallivanting about until the process is finished. I was not effected during the last exchange because the things you've experienced since we first encountered one another are exempt from the swapping. I've no timetable to give you in regard to how long it will take the process to complete. I happened upon many famous individuals over my time but as you requested I will not divulge names."

He felt a bit of pride at correctly deducing what spoilers meant.

"So.. everything since we met is private. Thank god." she breathed out with a sigh of relief.

"To be precise, everything since I originally scented you while observing your hunting party."

She hummed in acknowledgement and shifted the bags in her arms to get a better grip. Her movements made him look down and curiosity prompted him to ask a question.

"Why did you pillage the electronic device? I do not recall you enjoying such things."

He could feel her guilt over the crime return anew.

"It's not for me it's for the kid I watch all the time. I yelled at him last night. Like really, really, gave it to him like his dad or Nora never have. I felt bad and the store was already being looted…"

"I believe it was well deserved considering the boy foolishly compromised the safety of your abode. The punishment you doled out was lax in comparison to how grave his error could have been. Had he cost lives would you have felt more justified?"

She thought about his opinion of last night's breech and her rampage at the boy she viewed as an annoying little brother. She weighed her own experience of encountering her turned mother. And the many times Zach had been warned. Thoroughly explained to that the creature was no longer his mom. On one hand her mother had never been made up to look human again and manipulate her. Which made her feel sympathy for him. On the other hand he'd let something inside their fortress that was obviously pre-established as a dangerous threat.

Her mind moved from weighing the opposite ends to realizing what he'd said was an incite into his style of parenting. His younger daughter had never made such a mistake or been in a situation where her actions could be so detrimental to others. Whenever the dark haired little girl had acted up it'd been her mother who'd taken charge of her punishment.

"Would you have hit him?" she asked without giving any inclination in her tone as to which answer she preferred.

"No. In a different age, perhaps. Although I would have taken more drastic measures than you did to ensure he fully understood the gravity of his actions. From what I observed through you, I do not believe he fully comprehends that his mother is no more."

Ashly found she agreed with him once she'd really thought about how much worse last night could have been thanks to Zach's stupidity. She felt like a bit of a pushover now.

"With his father and surrogate mother present why did the responsibility of reprimanding him fall to you?"

"Well Eph is a shitty dad who pretty much lets anyone parent his kid so he doesn't have to. And Nora is kind of in this wicked stepmom position where she's trying to get on Zach's good side any way she can. I wasn't trying to play mommy. I just lost it and blew up on him because I almost ended up a spider-kid's Happy Meal. I guess I was so harsh on him the other two didn't bother."

Quinlan kept his already growing disdain for their human blunders quiet.

"You probably shouldn't be too friendly with Zach until he gets it through his head. He already sounds like he's made you into some kind of superhero in his mind. It was nice to hear him so upbeat and excited about something for a change. But he'll probably use your self-control as an excuse to try and get killed by Kelly again."

He made a sound of agreement and they continued on in comfortable silence. The more blocks they covered the stronger he could feel her apprehension. It was joined by crippling anxiety that made him worry she would relapse again when she led them down an alleyway. She stopped in front of a fortified metal door and hesitated, turning around to face him instead of knocking even though she was half frozen and starving.

"You can feel other people's emotions too not just me, right?" she demanded quietly while he felt immense guilt radiate off her.

She knew he could thanks to experiencing his ability herself through his memories but she wanted to be sure. His single silent nod was her answer.

"Okay. What are you picking up in there right now?" she inquired, trying to discern if Dutch was still mad enough to break her nose at first sight.

She watched while his head moved in different directions and he stared at the ground level bricks of the building.

"Overall, curiosity and worry. There is a bit of excitement and displeasure as well as irritation." he informed her, turning his head to point an ear toward the building next. "They are having a debate on whether or not I've drained you of blood and disposed of your body in a dumpster."

He sounded so offended when he spoke the second sentence it added to her guilt and made her forget her alarm at his enhanced hearing. They did not comprehend how valuable she was to him and had no idea what they shared to know how absurd the theory was. She wished her arms weren't full so she could touch him in some way to reassure him. The resentment she felt at their assumption of him and the protectiveness she felt toward him told him enough. Enough to make him release a soft whirl of appreciation for her loyalty. When he realized he was once again making natural sounds he repressed it but noted her quick twinge of unhappiness when he did.

"Are you ready?" she asked before turning back to the door.

She was aware of the mass amount of ridicule he'd endured from humans over the centuries. Even when he'd held a respected position as a world renowned general in the Roman legions. There'd still been insulting whispers that'd reached his sensitive ears and feelings of disgust that'd assaulted his other sense. She imagined he was feeling reluctant to be subjected to yet another fresh batch of human judgments.

Quinlan's signature curt nod answered and she used the toe of her boot to kick out the secret knock on the bottom of the door. As they heard bolts and locks moving on the other side she turned to him with a warm smile and said, "Welcome to the family."

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 _ **Author's Note:**_ _This will probably be the last chapter I publish for this story for a while. I tend to daydream while at work. Those scenes or theories I dream up end up becoming chapters to a story that has no set plot. I have a vague idea where I want to take this one but it's going to have to wait. I'm a Halloween nut and the spooktacular season is upon me. I decorate my home inside and out which is very time consuming. If I get any writing done at all it'll hopefully be the first chapter of my Sinister fanfic. I'm sorry I'm putting this story on hold. I want to promise you guys I'll get back to it in November but I've done that to readers of other fics in the past and look at me now. -_- You never know, Q inspiration could hit me in the face and demand I write chapter three asap. All I can say right now is, I'm sorry._


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note: This chapter got started thanks to a couple reviews here and there that got my ass in gear. Coincidentally right after the second one I had a close family friend pass away. Writing every morning helped distract me from what was going on, but I was also distracted while writing. I apologize if this chapter isn't up to par with the previous two chapters, I needed some comedy considering what was going on in my life when I was writing it. The good news is chapter 4 will be as funny as this one and it has already been started. I didn't realize I'd started writing over into it while working in this one. It happens. I hope you enjoy. Thank you for your reviews, and views._

* * *

Systematic pounding at the top of the door sent Zach running to fulfill his newly appointed duty as keeper of the gate. After Nora had suggested it he'd realized the lame job was a way to redeem himself. All the remaining adults were busy with one task or another and it made him feel good to be useful for once. Eph glanced up and found his son taking his responsibility seriously as a wooden chair was drug with screeching scrapes along the concrete floor. Over to the peephole.

"That's not the secret knock." he whined through the metal opening.

"Come on Zach." the tall man on the other side droned in an exasperated tone.

The boy moved his stepping stool aside and began unlocking the many clasps and bolts. When the two figures stepped inside and the entrance was firmly sealed behind them he felt accomplished. Relieved he hadn't done anything stupid again.

Dutch barely spared them an irritated glance as the two shook freshly fallen flakes from their jackets. She continued forcefully chopping carrots. Until she realized there were only two of them and her head shot back up in alarm. Her darkly rimmed eyes widened and her voluptuous bottom lip lowered in an open-mouthed horrified expression.

"W-where the bloody hell is she?" she demanded in a trembling gulp as she rounded the kitchen's island. Her next question came out in an angry burst. "What happened?!"

Setrakian threw a pitiless look up at Fet that told him this was his problem. He gladly ambled away toward the shelves where he kept the oldest pieces of literature in his possession.

"She's fine… I think." Fet answered, raising his hands and backing up a little as she pointed the culinary knife at him.

Dutch raised her equally sharp brows in a quizzical gesture.

"Ya think?" she questioned with a tilt of her head, pursing her lips.

"She was fine when she split up with us.." he began explaining before he started trailing off and not making sense. "…as fine as she's a gonna be after dat thing did whatever it did to her.."

"What thing did what to her? What do you mean 'split up'? There is no splitting up with her when you take her out there, Fet. She'll die!"

"She jumped outta the truck and said she had stuff ta do. Vhat did you want me to do? Abduct her?! She's a big girl."

Dutch rolled her eyes and flattened her lips in an un-amused line while he massaged his lower back and began taking off his boots. She noted he hadn't lost his recently acquired snippy attitude during their adventure.

"So what happened? Did she get stung? You just left 'er out there to turn? Lovely. And what thing?" she demanded again.

"Da dick muncher." he muttered with disdain and a shake of his head.

"What?" she insisted as her brows came together with confusion.

"Somethin' weird caught up with us in dat building and somethin' weirder went down between it an Ashly." he supplied and hurried to continue before she cut him off. "But she's okay."

"An she asked for someone to start choppin' veggies for her." he added with an incline of his head toward the counter Dutch had abandoned. And the uncomfortable woman watching them. His voice took on a condescending edge. "Nice to see you tappin' inta your domestic side."

Dutch gave him a flat look that wasn't needed to tell him she was bored out of her mind and that he could fuck off.

"Nikki and I thought we'd help out with the housework. It's been a nice change of pace." she lied with a rise of her brows that threatened him to claim otherwise.

"Oh yeah. Looks like lotsa fun." he quietly taunted back, aware of how little space was between them now and the weapon still clutched in her fist.

The smoldering way her eyes swept over him made it clear she'd be having much more fun climbing him like a tree. But with one lingering look loaded with frustration and regret she returned to her carrots.

"What may I ask, is a.. 'dick muncher'?" Eph called out to Fet, who let out a light chuckle and moved to join him at the table. "Another experiment of the Master's similar to the bind children? Based on the name you've given it I'm almost afraid to ask." he quipped while pushing his flask toward the lumbering Ukrainian.

Fet took a swig and seated himself carefully on a chair that was dwarfed by his size. He let out a satisfied "Ahh" as the whisky slid down his throat and leaned forward on his forearms, pushing the flask back.

"It was freaky lookin'. This thing came outta nowhere and it-"

The professor chose that opportune moment to slam the mammoth scroll down on the wooden table and interrupt Fet's rendition of the day's events.

" _He_.. is a creature thought to only be one of legend and myth.. Until today." he began as almost everyone gathered around to listen.

The fable he read aloud captivated them all and sent shivers down a few spines as they realized this fairytale was real.

"Coool." Zach gasped, moving a hand to trace the vague depiction of a fierce pale warrior in Roman armor.

"I'll believe it when I see it." Eph scoffed.

"Believe it buddy, I've seen it." Fet affirmed, especially with the way he grabbed for the flask again with purpose.

"The Born.." Nora murmured to herself before addressing the Professor. "That title sounds as though it hints to him being born into vampirism, not made by the Master like the others have been."

"That would be correct-" Setrakian began agreeing until Fet sucked in a dramatic gasp.

"Before they passed out it said "Capable of carryin' my offspring"…it wants her for an incubator. Like a god-damn easy bake oven for its muncher bun." he deduced with a disgusted curl of his lip.

"If he is in fact part human, Mr. Fet, it may be much more than that." the older man advised with a knowing look.

The prejudice younger man turned away with a grimace, shaking his head in disapproval. "S'not right."

"If she's not back by nightfall I'm going out to look for her." Dutch asserted from her place across the kitchen area with a blameful look directed at him.

"She will be alright." the Professor assured her. "I doubt The Born would allow any harm to come to the only female, as he claims, that is able to bear his offspring."

"Oh yeah, he looked real concerned walkin' off in the other direction." Fet snapped softly while Setrakian ignored him and turned to carry the scroll away with Zach trailing behind him.

"Sounds like you were really concerned when you drove off an left 'er out there with this thing, weren't you?" Dutch sarcastically retorted.

"Vhat de fak was I supposed to do?! I didn't leave 'er! She left us! She's a adult for faks sake!"

"You should have made her come home! She's not a fighter like us, she can't take care of herself out there!" she shouted back, furtively ignoring the fact that they sounded like two parents fighting over their child.

They glared at each other until Fet gave up and looked away to Eph. Who was doing his best to look like he was minding his own business, admiring Nora's behind while she bent over to right more plants that'd been knocked over during the previous evening's invasion.

"Why do you even care? She just slept with a guy I'm pretty sure you've been cheating on me with and these people are nobodies to you. What, are you banging her too?" Nikki whispered under her breath while she continued unevenly cutting celery stalks.

"These nobodies, me included, are the only family she has left." Dutch whispered back with a harsh look. "And she's the only one here who can sympathize with your… skill set.. in the group so you'll be spending a lot of time with her. Be nice."

Nikki let the subject drop as she looked around at the strangers she'd been moved in with. Some of who's names she hadn't bothered to try learning. She wrinkled her nose as her gaze moved upward to the grated system of walkways hanging above them. Fet caught the unsavory look she was giving her sanctuary and let out a snort. He believed if anyone deserved to be dumped on their own in the city is was the most ungrateful occupant.

Everyone went about their business as hours ticked by and the group's worry for their absent member grew. Nora had taken it upon herself to fulfill the linen duties Ashly normally carried out every day. Eph and Fet had decided to start a game of crazy eights while they took turns sipping the last of Eph's liquor.

Zach could be heard begging for Setrakian to re-tell the Born story a fourth time by the time the sun had gone down. The old man made his way to the radio charging station and began calling out for her to be free of his story-time burden. That endeavor caught the boy's interest as well and Setrakian was soon forced to share the pastime.

After half an hour of quietly arguing with her companion following sundown Dutch began readying herself to leave. She was almost thankful for the unfortunate reason to get away in light of the complicated situation she'd found herself in after bringing Nikki home. The tension between herself and Fet was momentarily forgotten as his worry cut through the whisky and he grabbed the walkie to try his hand at getting an answer from her. He sounded so remorseful it was hard to stay mad at him. And the way he kept running his fingers over his goatee while he listened to the silence that answered made Dutch realize he was itching to go out hunting for Ashly with her. An exhilarated thrill at the prospect of using her sword ran through her as she slipped the sheath onto her back. But it was short-lived as a familiar voice finally answered them. A different type of relief washed over her and a smile stretched across her face.

She came closer to listen while Setrakian grabbed the radio and hurriedly asked his important question. Much to his dislike Zach had a question for her as well. Her answer puzzled some while three of them fought for control. Until Nora suggested that The Born had relayed some of his history to her if they had been together the entire time she'd been away. Setrakian won the battle and was able to repeat his urgent question thanks to Nora chiding the other two hands away.

"Vhat a creep. Who follows people like dat?" Fet muttered in reply to her answer, his accent coming out to play thanks to the alcohol.

"Are you certain?" the old man demanded while using one hand to fight off Zach's continued advances.

Some static and an audible sigh came through the speaker and then a surprising statement that flabbergasted the lot of them.

"Just come out! I know you're there. I can feel you!"

Eyeballs bulged and everyone looked at each other incredulously, even Nikki.

"Feel?" Dutch parroted in disbelief where she'd come to stand beside Eph.

"Don't a get me started." Fet replied as an uncharacteristic shudder visibly rippled through his body.

Ashly's "I'm certain" made the old man almost smile. But Setrakian's next order over the radio sent everyone into an uproar.

"Vhat have you been smokin' old man, tellin' her to bring dat thing in here?!"

"Awesome!"

"Whoa whoa whoa, I want her to get home safe but I don't know if him knowing where we sleep is the best idea.."

"What if we could study his biological makeup and find a new way to take these things down?"

"Ehp is right, what if he is the key to ending all of this?"

"I'm not staying here if it's here."

Setrakian moved away to hear her response. And then to give his hoarse, strangled, reply before Zach yelled something that made all the bickering stop for a moment.

"Ask him if he has a stinger!"

"We're five streets away, we'll be home soon." was her short mortified reply.

Dutch was the first to break the stunned silence and address the one who'd just invited the enemy spices into their home.

"Can you ask her what she plans on making tonight? Nikki and I couldn't do much to get the ingredients ready because we didn't know and we only chopped the basic…"

Everyone was looking at her like she was the crazy one. But Setrakian nodded to her and acted as if she were the only one with a brain in her head while he tried to communicate her question. A certain amount of silence was honored for a reply that didn't come before all hell broke loose again. All through the bickering and arguing the old man's bushy eyebrows furrowed deeper and his un-amused silent lips pressed tighter into a receding line engulfed by his beard.

A thundering yell of "Enough!" interrupted them forcefully. Enough to make them all pause in surprise at the command that came from the individual holding onto the back of a chair for support. Romanian muttering tumbled from his lips next as he looked from person to person, glaring sternly into their eyes.

"This..is my home. My roof you all take shelter under. I will not be questioned or contradicted about who I invite here-"

"Or what.." Fet retorted under his breath only to advert his eyes in submission when Setrakian narrowed his gaze.

"I shall not tolerate it." he continued. "This being may be our last hope in defeating the Master and I will not have him shunned away by superstition and ignorant fear."

Setrakian began advancing toward his room when he paused and turned back to them. He looked uncertain of what he was going to say next. Zach thought he caught a hint of sadness in the old man's eyes from his seat near the door while the Professor hesitated.

"If anyone has qualms about the addition to our party…they may leave."

Everyone mutely stared back at him until he returned to his route, the silence continuing until the metal door to his quarters slammed shut. Ehp and Fet began arguing in furtive whispers that made Nora roll her eyes and sent her to straighten the living room. Dutch removed her gear and returned to the kitchen area. She'd intended on cleaning up the remnants of their chopping when Nikki's frantic tugging on her sleeve caught her attention.

"I want to leave." she whispered, her desperate brown eyes widening when Dutch gave her an incredulous look.

"This is the safest spot in the city." she tried to assure Nikki with a smile as she carried the discarded vegetable parts to the trashcan. "Besides, Ashly's cooking is out of this world, you wouldn't want to miss it. I wish we had potatoes, you would not believe-"

Nikki cut her off while she watched her bend over to fish around in the pantry.

"I don't want to stay here with these people or whatever the heck the chick who screwed your boyfriend is bringing back." she snapped, softening her tone into a whine at the other woman's disgruntled expression. "I want to go home, back to the apartment. I'm not comfortable here."

Dutch straightened and took Nikki's face in her hands, strumming her thumb over the tanned skin of her cheek while she stared into her eyes.

"He was not my boyfriend." she began explaining as Nikki scoffed and tried to pull away.

"Do you think I'm stupid?"

"Hey.." she softly insisted, using her hands to make her look at her again. "He wasn't, he was…you know me." Rolled eyes and the hint of a smile let Dutch continue. "We can't go tonight, it's not safe and the apartment hasn't been fortified yet. If you still feel the same way tomorrow morning…" she trailed off as her eyes studied her face, fighting the urge to look over at Fet and the compound surrounding them. "..then we can leave."

The slight nod Nikki gave made a smile spread across Dutch's face before she bent down to press a kiss to her forehead.

"And I for one, am very curious to see this..guy..Ashly's bringing home. Aren't you?" she announced loudly with good humor as she reached forward to tuck a piece of brown hair behind her companion's ear. "I can't imagine what a half human bloodsucker would look like."

"Not pretty." The sound of the slightly inebriated accented voice came from across the room as Nikki wrinkled her nose at what her mind came up with.

"Vhat's takin' her so long, how much ya wanna bet it sucked 'er dry and chucked 'er in a dumpster." Fet theorized bitterly as he threw his next card down and tried to ignore the intimate scene that'd just ended in his peripheral vision.

Ehp shook his head and let out a light chuckle.

"I doubt it with the way you mentioned him having a reproductive need for her." he reminded him, going on with a speculation of his own. "I wonder what exactly would make a human capable of reproducing with one of these things. I'd imagine if conception was successful..or possible.. the fetus would slowly kill her."

"Thanks Doc, exactly vhat I vanna hear." he scowled in reply as he watched Eph throw his last winning card down.

A recognizable pattern of thuds on the metal beside him sent Zach scurrying to unlock the door. His excited hands failed when they tried to tug it open. With one more forgotten deadbolt turned he pulled it open, stepping back as two snow pelted figures entered. He peered up into the stranger's dark hooded expanse with a slack-jawed grin and two glinting eyes reflected back at him. The woman next to him used her butt to close the door.

"Holy shit it's a blizzard out there." Ashly muttered as she used her weight to push the entrance shut behind them.

She stood upright and used a jerking motion to push her hood back and out of her eyes that made her neck twinge. Her vision adjusted to the bright lights and she felt her cheeks burning not only from the severe change in temperature. They were all staring. And Zach was reaching up to touch Quinlan's sword sheath.

"Hey, keep your hands to yourself. Look at this, I got you something while I was out there." she hurriedly bribed him, nudging his hand away with the brown paper-covered box to steal his attention as a soft rattle of warning sounded beside them.

After their earlier conversation she had resigned to make Zach wait until Christmas for the gaming system. But she could already see a distraction was direly needed. The boy let out an exclamation of "Awesome!" after he ripped the paper bag apart and gazed down at his gift. He disappeared into the only room in the compound that had a television, conveniently his bedroom.

Ashly turned back to her fellow snow covered traveler to take her other grocery bag from his hands. She couldn't see his eyes thanks to a low hanging hood. But she could see his abnormally large lips pressing together at her in disapproval while he handed over the bag.

"What? I had to give it to him, would you rather he's up your butt all night with questions?"

"You will make an indulgent mother." he quietly stated matter-of-factly, a slight smile lifting one corner of his mouth for a second as her eyes bulged in alarm and she turned away.

His expression returned to its neutral setting as she moved to deposit her bags on a countertop and her head no longer hid the bottom half of his face from view. He could sense the fear and uneasiness all around them she seemed to be oblivious to. He suspected she wasn't completely so. Because of the way she avoided looking at anyone in particular as she returned to his side and crouched down carefully to untie her boots. It took some maneuvering to not let the wine bottles in her pockets clank against the ground while she kneeled. An impatient half cough half throat clear from Eph forced her head to lift from the second knot. She gave him a confused look until he pointedly moved his eyes from her to the figure next to her.

"Oh shit." she whispered under her breath once she realized what he was trying to get across.

"Ah.." she croaked, accepting the suede-covered hand that offered to help her stand up.

"..Everyone, this is Quinlan.." she announced, awkwardly motioning with her quickly freed hand towards him. "Quinlan, this is everyone. You already know all their names because..well..you know.." she trailed off with a tapping motion against her temple.

He'd be lying if he said he didn't enjoy the dramatic suspense as he reached up and slowly pushed his hood back off his head. The gasps that came after weren't as enjoyable. He'd been expecting them as well as the feeling of revulsion he picked up from a couple individuals. Some were intrigued, one even a little sexually attracted. But fear was the definable emotion that bolted through each one of them as his unsettling eyes swept across them.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintances." he greeted stiffly to them all in general.

An uncomfortable silence answered. Aside from the briefly raised hand she was thankful Dutch waved at him. Quinlan felt the gesture make her dread and guilt return to the front of her mind.

"Um…you remember the Professor and Fet, from earlier today." she nervously added with clumsy gestures toward each of them.

He nodded to both of them as he freed his neck from her scarf, revealing his oddity. The latter of the two glared at the red knit that now hung loosely over Quinlan's coat, crossing his arms over his chest disapprovingly as he sat back in his chair. Setrakian seemed to surface from his awe that the myth was in fact real and standing on the welcome mat of his home. The old man made his way forward with a hand extended outward to shake.

"It is an honor to have you with us, Mr. Sertorius." he declared even though the faces and emotions of those around them claimed otherwise.

"Please, address me by my modern name, I have not gone by that title in many a century. And the honor, is all mine Professor. It's not every evening I am in the company of a human which managed to injure the Master." he informed him as he accepted the man's firm grip in his.

The old man stared up at him almost entranced. Mouth slightly agape, facial caterpillars trying to escape up into his hair. Ashly's unbecoming snort at Quinlan thinking his name was modern brought the Professor back to his senses.

"I wonder if I might have a word with you before supper." Setrakian inquired, waving a hand towards the privacy of his room.

Quinlan looked to her, an uncharacteristic motion of seeking consent that made her look questioningly back at him.

"Go ahead, I need to get cooking anyway if I wanna have dinner done before Zach's bedtime." she reasoned with a shrug while she toed her boots off.

He nodded to Setrakian and began following when a hand firmly attached to the nape of his coat stopped him and made him look back.

"Take those off first." she ordered, pointing down at his slush covered military style boots. "I just mopped this whole level the day before yesterday. You know that."

The look Setrakian gave her at having the audacity to order the Born to do anything made her let out a light laugh. One that cut short when she heard Dutch mutter something along the lines of "Always with the floor." and reminded her it was time to pay for her sins. She didn't bother kneeling down to whisper it to him, knowing he would hear her perfectly fine from where she stood upright. Instead focusing on speaking without moving her mouth so she didn't look weird.

"If Dutch punches me or something don't hurt her, I deserve it."

His quiet noise of answer didn't sound as though he agreed with her logic but he wordlessly advanced in black socks. Coming up beside the Professor as he started babbling about the Occido Lumen and they headed for solitude. She watched until the door slid closed behind them and she was forced to face the music. A tentative glance over at the kitchen gained her a quick raise and fall of Dutch's eyebrows in welcome.

Dutch watched her shuffle forward, eyes pointed downward in shame at her wet socks. Judging by her pathetic appearance she figured Ashly was harboring more negative feelings about the situation than she was herself. She was thinking about what a drag it must be to have those kinds of rigid notions about sex and relationships when watery brown eyes finally lifted to meet hers.

"I'm such a shitty friend." she admitted as she started unzipping her bulging coat.

She decided to leave out the exact details of why she was thanks to the woman intently watching beside the blonde. Instead she reached down inside her sweatshirt and extracted a bottle, relieving the stress on her strained bra straps.

"And I'm sorry." she apologized as she set the alcohol on the counter between them.

"Really.." she added with a second bottle, her aching back giving a sigh of relief as both her deepest pockets were emptied of their burdens and she presented the third. "..really sorry."

Dutch didn't answer. She looked from the bottles to Ashly, letting out a quiet sigh as she reached forward and picked one up. Inspecting it while the woman in front of her waited on pins and needles.

"Come on Dach, give 'er a break, she didn't do it alone. It takes two ta tango." Fet droned from across the room, making the girl in discussion turn around sharply and shush him.

"Shut up." she growled through clenched teeth before she turned her back on him.

She faced front to find Dutch looking from him to her and then back to the bottle in hand with unaffected features.

"It's your favorite kind." she mentioned timidly, the waiver in her voice making her sound near tears.

When Dutch put the wine down and raised one of her arms Ashly ducked, cowering with an arm curled over her unkempt head. Instead of pain she felt warmth and arms wrapping around her. Smelt the shampoo they all used that hadn't touched her own hair in one day too many.

"I'm glad ya made it home alive."

Seven simple words made her relax and straighten into the hug, awkwardly returning it with cautious pats to Dutch's back. Clearing of a nearby throat pulled them apart and made Dutch smile forgivingly down at her, cracking a joke while she held her at an arm's length.

"You're lucky you brought booze."

A loud laugh boomed from her. She started unloading stolen cans and produce from her pockets while Dutch set to putting them in their proper places and Nikki stood by.

"Booze? Did someone say booze?" Eph inquired as he shuffled the cards.

"Oh Jesus. Good one Dutchess, you set him off." she sighed humorously, rummaging through the paper bags until she found him his fix.

The pint was left at the edge of the kitchen's island for Eph to fetch and she deposited her empty coat on a hook next to the door.

"Dutchess?" Nikki whispered skeptically as she looked from Dutch to the woman who was turning the locks Zach had forgotten and calling out for Fet's cat with kissy noises.

"Be nice." Dutch scolded under her breath while Ashly approached.

A fake smile was slapped on her face as the girl nodded in her direction and came forward to introduce herself.

"Hey, it's nice to see you again, congrats on not getting eaten." she joked, making Dutch laugh and the woman she was addressing frown slightly. "I'm Ashly, resident catlady."

Nikki glanced from the image of a cat hanging from a tree branch with the words "hang in there" on her dirtied sweatshirt, up to her slightly embarrassed face.

"Nice to meet you, Nikki." she curtly replied as she leaned back against the counter and watched Dutch empty the bags.

Sensing that friendly conversation wasn't welcomed she briefly wondered if she was inheriting Quinlan's emotional sensitivity as she turned to a more pleasant endeavor.

"Where's my mow mowww!" she sang through the compound's living room area, looking around to see if the fur-ball was curled up on her pillow again.

A "Mau?" from a walkway up above answered her.

"There she iiis." Ashly cooed, extending her arms out for the feline to jump from the metal grate.

The cat landed on her chest with a thud and immediately began head-butting Ashly's chin, purring away while she was stroked and cuddled. Her unintelligible baby talk was interrupted by Dutch impatiently waving a package of meat at her and asking what to do.

"Oh you're going to cook, huh?" she asked with a laugh, moving forward to overlook the ingredients.

"God no, we'd all be dead." Dutch quipped back.

Ashly's brows rose in surprise at all the work that'd already been done while she tried to ignore Nikki's suspicious glances between herself and Dutch at their easy friendship. Instead she tried to bring the uncomfortable woman into the conversation.

"Are you psychic Nikki? How'd you know I'd be making beef stew?"

"We didn't. I just figured knowing you it'd have chopped vegetables in it." Dutch cut in. "So what now?" she asserted with a knife twirling at the un-assembled meal.

Ashly gave her a puzzled and slightly disturbed look while over dramatically backing away with the cat.

"I appreciate the help but who are you and what have you done with my Amazon warrior princess? Since when do you chop anything beside vampire necks?!" she exclaimed as she unloaded the ball of fluff from her arms into the middle of Eph and Fet's card game.

"Since when do you go out on your own, survive," Dutch countered, throwing a dirty look at Fet. "bring back tons of food, booze, video games, and a man?"

"Touché." Ashly snickered as she padded back to the kitchen while her eyes strayed toward Setrakian's room and she tied her hair back into a sloppy bun.

She continued ignoring the pull, a battle they had no idea she'd been fighting inside herself since the moment Quinlan had left her sight. Instead she focused on the fulfilling task of getting her family's dinner on the table.

"I need three onions quartered, same with five potatoes. Usually a good stew needs three hours but I'm hungry and I can get it done in one. It just won't taste as good as it's supposed to.." she rambled, shooting her hand out to grab Dutch's wrist when she realized what she was doing.

"Hold on there samurai Sammie." she chided, leaning over to address Nikki directly. "Do you know how to quarter?"

"Yeah.." Nikki affirmed, moving her hands to show what size the word meant.

"Okay, can you show her how to do it right before she starts chopping everything to bits?" she requested with a pained smile as she let go of Dutch and got the tiniest hint of a smile in return out of Nikki. "It's nice that I'm not the only one who knows what they're doing in the kitchen now, good to have you here."

The laughter she heard going on behind her while she washed her hands made her heart squeeze a little. It was nice to hear the happy sound instead of screams of terror. And it was a heartwarming thought that she'd orchestrated some happiness between the two that'd been a joint rain cloud since Dutch had brought her long lost deserter girlfriend home. Loud swearing and groaning from further behind her made her eyes flick upward and her head shake while she dried her hands.

"If you're going to be a sore loser then don't play." Nora scolded Eph as she emerged from helping Zach set up his new form of entertainment.

"Should I even ask what happened to his hair?" Ashly murmured when Nora joined her and the other ladies.

Widened eyes and the way she silently mouthed "No." made her let the subject change.

"I'd like to hear about your little adventure today." Dutch chimed in as she finished her portion of the chopping and began searching for a corkscrew.

"Adventcha." Ashly mimicked, imitating Dutch's accent with a smile.

"It wasn't much of an adventure. I got chemically… or biologically… or whatever.." she backpedaled, painfully aware that she was in the midst of an articulate scientist. "…betrothed to a demi-god."

"Saw that rat-faced bastard, the Masta for the first time." she continued, using her favored pronunciation of the title while she said it in her best imitation of Renfield from Dracula. "Shot him in his rat-face before Fet blew up the wrong pillar."

"Ey!-"

"I know, I know. It wasn't your fault, you were working blind." she yelled over the sound of sizzling meat when Fet tried to cut in and defend himself from afar.

"Then I went and pick-pocketed some corpses. Committed a home invasion robbery that involved me killing a nana-muncher with her knitting needles. Looted Zach the Playstation from a store. And then I bought groceries. See, nothing exciting."

Dutch gave her a flat disbelieving look along with Nora while Nikki stared at Ashly with her mouth wide open. The blonde gave up looking and pulled a switchblade from her jeans pocket instead.

"Come off it, what were you really doing out there for so long? How did you manage to make it out there?" Dutch insisted as she stabbed the cork and yanked it from the bottle in one swift motion that startled Nikki into raising her jaw.

"How I always do if one of you aren't around, I got lucky. I mean there was one close call and I made it out of that because I got lucky, but the rest of the time it was him." she explained with a tilt of her head in the general direction of Setrakian's bedroom.

Ashly looked up from searing the meat to find three pairs of expectant eyes on her. And hear a card game that had suddenly gone suspiciously quiet. When Nora's impatient fidgeting got on her nerves Dutch asked the question she knew she was dying to, along with everyone else there.

"So…him?" she inquired with a suggestive waggling of her eyebrows.

"Yeah, him. Don't start." Ashly warned, her glare melting away almost immediately into a goofy grin and a bubbly giggle.

Her hand clamped over her mouth while the other three women erupted with laughter at the unintentional sound that had come from her and the shade she was turning.

"Fet spoke about reproducing…and compatibility..does he.." Nora hesitated, her eyes conveying her apologies for rudely asking. "Is he..anatomically…equipped? I am only asking out of scientific curiosity."

Ashly's eyes bulged and they retreated back to the meat with hesitation before she addressed the meat in question.

"Ah..just so you know, this little session of girl-talk is not private. He can hear everything we're saying." she divulged with a wave of her spatula around the group of women.

"Seriously?" Nikki asked with a shocked expression and a brief look over at the caged room.

"Yup. He can probably hear a rat fart two blocks away." she flippantly guessed as her head turned in the same direction and she worried about him listening to her own natural bodily functions.

"So..dick or no dick?" Dutch pushed unabashedly in a blatant way that made Ashly snort with laughter.

"I'm not sure. I don't know for myself but according to Fet, he does." she supplied, growling the man's name through clenched teeth.

"Oh really!?" Dutch exclaimed with delighted scandalous surprise as she looked across to where the Ukrainian was hanging his head and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Didja fancy a walk on the wild side today Fetty boy? I didn't know you swung that way."

"It vasn't what you're makin' it sound like." he complained, holding his hands up innocently as Eph gave him a weird look, accidentally showing his cards in the process. "I only saw da outline through its pants, and da truck was moving. I barely saw it."

"Call him an it one more time and you're not getting dinner." Ashly threatened lowly, her demeanor darkening into a hostile one suddenly as she'd been laughing with everyone else seconds before.

Fet looked tempted to deliver a snaky reply but the smell of seasoned beef and the promise of a full stomach before bed held his tongue.

"Proper pronouns are important but jeez Ash, I've never seen you snap at someone like that before." Dutch worried aloud while pouring a generous portion of wine into three mismatched cups.

"Fet's been pissing me off all day but that's not all it is. I'm not..right..inside. It's hard to explain what's happening to me because I don't understand it. When I heard Fet being disrespectful towards Quinlan…I…I don't know. I'm just not myself. Almost literally if you take into account his memories in my brain…and his dead wife's memories…" she rambled off without a thorough explanation which caused them all to look at her strangely.

"How is that even possible? How does my brain have room for all that extra shit? How has my head not exploded between all that and the thing in me that spell-checks almost every feeling I have or action I take toward him? And that smell. Those pheromones are going to be the death of me." she mildly ranted, relieved she could soon toss everything in a pot and be done with the meticulous aspects of the recipe.

"Humans do only use ten percent of their brains." Nora offered weakly when Ashly's gaze landed on her for medical answers.

"Are ya sure you wouldn't like a touch?" Dutch inquired with a raise of her own glass, referring to her friend's inclination to rarely drink.

"The whole bottle wouldn't be enough to help my dilemma." she laughed with a shake of her head.

"And if I pass out all of a sudden, don't freak out. It's a part of what's happening." she warned them before raising a hand to the lump on the back of her head and muttering, "Hopefully I won't bash my head open on a corner..."

"I'm sorry, but did you say you have…spell check inside you?" Nikki cautiously asked, confident her girlfriend's new best friend was a raving madwoman.

"That's the best way I can describe…it…he calls it 'the need' and talks about it like it has a mind of its own, or like it's a force of nature like the weather. Oh god how do I…" she paused for a second, struggling for a proper way to explain. "If he were standing next to me right now it wouldn't let me feel frustrated over all of this stuff. I would get to feel it for a second and then the frustration would just be gone or stolen or erased or whatever it does. I can feel it trying to do it right now but it's weaker when we have some space between us."

"It's basically robbing her of her free will." Eph commented while contemplating his hand of cards.

A horrified expression of realization overtook her face as he articulated what she couldn't to a tee. The ladies all gave her sympathetic looks and consoling words of how wrong it was.

"It's not his fault though, he can't control it. He doesn't get a choice either. It's not just happening to me. He could think I'm totally gross but he doesn't get to feel grossed out. Instead he gets forced to feel like he overdosed on a bottle of Viagra with a bunch of ecstasy tabs mixed in." she elaborated when Nikki assumed he was deliberately manipulating her.

Every moment they gossiped about Quinlan and the unprecedented bond happening between them her conscience nagged at her. She'd been taught growing up that it was rude to discuss someone behind their back. The thought that it wasn't so bad because he could hear every word crossed her mind, and made another nerve wracking one occur to her. Regret and anxiety ran through her as she wondered if he would be upset with her for divulging the details of what was happening to them. Much to her dismay her family was far from done analyzing.

"You have to admit it's an ingenious preservation mechanism. If his species requires a crucial component in its mate for reproduction to be successful, and said component is rare to find in a mate, it makes sense. Trivial things like love and personal preferences are overridden in an attempt to ensure the survival of the species." Eph deduced, luring Nora into a debate on what exactly made Ashly compatible.

"Her body having an unprecedented ability to replenish her blood count could be a possibility." Nora suggested.

"We can't prove your hypothesis of course without running tests or conducting experiments." Ehp noted with an unwelcome look in Ashly's direction.

The Hispanic woman continued with a dismissive wave of her hand at his thinly veiled implication that their cook should become their lab rat.

"But I'd assume the fetus would require as much sustenance if not more than a human one. The crucial difference being that it would survive on blood rather than the mother's organic nutrition. It would make sense for her body to be able to keep up with the demand. Otherwise the host would die before the fetus could mature."

"Can I throw 'iron vagina' into the hat?" Dutch humorously asked, to her friend's irritation.

"Can we just not?" she requested wearily, looking pointedly at the scientists and side-eyeing the blonde.

"At least he's attractive." Dutch pointed out, watching as Ashly fought a grin that faltered when she realized Quinlan had gotten the short end of the stick in that department. "I'd give him a go at least once."

"Ya know, just to see what it's like." she added with a nonchalant shrug when Nikki gave her a disgusted look and Fet let out a retching sound.

Irrational jealousy raised the metaphorical hackles on the back of Ashly's perspiration-dotted neck as she diligently flipped the beef and poured tomato paste into a large pot. She was disturbed by the urge she got to attack Dutch, an animalistic instinct to stake claim to what the thing inside her saw as hers. A thick lump of guilt was swallowed and she tried her best to bury the violent urge.

"Well, I do owe you one." she joked with a strained chuckle and then a grimace when Ashly saw Nikki's displeased expression. She tried to steer the conversation away from prospect of Dutch cheating on her girlfriend again while Nora came to rejoin them. "What about you?"

Nora raised her hand and tipped it back and fourth, signaling uncertainty.

"I don't know. But I am going to have to get used to bald men." she admitted with a playful look thrown in Eph's direction that made them titter quietly.

Movement in the far corner of her peripheral vision made Ashly's head snap in the direction of the old man's room. Zach was crouched in the hallway that led to the bathroom and the room Dutch had shared with Fet. The exact hallway they'd fornicated in hours before. With an exasperated sigh she wiped her hands and threw the kitchen towel over her shoulder. As she crossed the expanse of the living area she wondered how he'd managed to slip past them all. He was peering through the metal mesh where a small hole was torn in the plastic that covered the other side, captivated. Enough so that he did not realize she was standing over him with aggravated hands resting on her hips.

"Pssst." Her noise made him jump and let out a hushed squeak. "Go play your games. I had to shoot a man for that, you know? If I catch you snooping around here again you're next buddy."

"I had to go to the bathroom." he whispered back petulantly while he started getting to his feet.

She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a knowing look.

"I don't see a toilet here." she hissed, narrowing her eyes at him until he turned away to continue down the hall.

His eavesdropping post was taken up after she quickly looked towards the kitchen. Quinlan was visible, seated on the Professor's bed while the old man sat across from him in his desk chair. From what little she could hear it seemed they were compiling a list of possible places the Master may have moved his hiding place to. She startled a little when his crystalline eyes moved straight to her peeping one. The sound of flushing and her own heart pounding embarrassment made her wrench away and struggle to stand upright before the adolescent returned. When he emerged she kept him going with a stern finger pointed in the direction of the living room. As she followed after him she mentally acknowledged Quinlan had known the boy was there the entire time and had been humoring the voyeurism.

"Dinner will be done in fifteen- twenty minutes." she called out to his back while watching him return to his room.

The beef and vegetables were being added to the pot as the telltale creaking of Setrakian's rolling door sounded out.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** _Thank you for your reviews and views. :) You guys took to Strain comedy better than I expected._

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Everyone went quiet and stopped to stare as the two exited. All except Ashly. She was busy plucking onion skins off the floor that Dutch had failed to keep on the counter. The last stubborn yellow papery flake was being scraped at with a persistent fingernail when his sock-covered feet appeared in front of her.

"Hi." she ungainly chirped up at him before her face turned back to the floor too quickly to see his nod in return.

Part of her red-cheeked reluctance to look at him was due to the conversation she knew he heard. Partly because she could smell the enticing odor fuming from his neck down where she knelt. And partly because her slight ocd would not be satisfied until she got the last flake in the garbage can. During her pursuit she noticed little points protruding from his toes that stretched the sock's material outwards.

The discovery that he had toe-claws made her think back to the exes who'd complained about sharp toenails slicing them in the middle of the night. And made her realize she was in for some payback. After three more tries she relented to licking her finger, successfully capturing it and as a result forcing herself to face him when she returned from the trashcan.

"Umm.. you can make yourself at home, take a look around." she offered in attempt to put some distance between them and keep herself from diving face-first into his throat.

Though her anxiety wanted distance her eyes did not. They followed him to the coat rack where he first shrugged out of the harness to his sword's sheath and then his heavy wool jacket after its pockets were stuffed with his gloves. He layered her scarf overtop them both on the hook last. She realized her eyes weren't the only ones stalking him when he moved to peruse Fet's weapons table on the far side of the room. Their inventor re-positioned in his seat to watch. She couldn't see Fet's face but she would bet her left boob the artillery enthusiast was struggling between his dislike for Quinlan and his egotistical urge to explain their genius mechanics.

"Don't press da button on top unless ya vanna get fried like Kentucky muncher chicken." Fet advised when Quinlan picked something up, halfway proving her right that he couldn't resist opening his mouth. "'S a UV ray silver combo bomb."

The dhampir held the orb closer to his face, muttering out a dry compliment to the human in the spirit of peacemaking while his intended was present. "Innovative."

Ashly also suspected in the event that Fet put his prejudice aside and ridiculous scheme of using her to get back at Dutch to bed, they could become friends. Maybe even best friends and her worst aggravating nightmare to boot. She was picturing Quinlan mowing down hordes of strigoi alongside Fet and Dutch when she heard a searing sound similar to the one that happened when she dropped raw bacon in a hot pan.

She moved away from the stove. Bypassing a support beam that was blocking her view to see he'd picked up Abraham's sword from where it'd been laid out to be sharpened. Her mouth grew slack in horror as smoke swirled into the air while he handled the artifact. The skin of his fingertips and palms singed and curled away to flake off while he inspected the blade without flinching, un-bothered by the blistering wounds that were resulting.

The dramatic gasp that left her made his head lift in surprise, more so at the intense feeling of panicked concern coming from her than the sound. Quinlan turned around to see her frantically wetting the towel that'd been resting on her shoulder, wringing it out weakly before speed walking to him. Her distraught eyes jumped from his hands to his face and back again as she approached and he kept leisurely holding the harmful object.

"What's wrong with you, put it down!" she demanded, watching impatiently as his muscle's flesh sizzled against it and he carefully set the sword back in its place .

Her lack of fear to grab his wrists and swaddle his hands in the towel pleased him. And the genuine worry showing on her face touched him. He let out an unintentional purr to soothe her neurotic behavior but it went ignored in her dismay, just like his words.

"I am not-"

"You just had to touch it didn't you?" she grumbled while pressing both of his hands between hers to make the moisture stop the smoldering. "I need to go find some bandages.."

"I do not require medical attention." he assured her, repressing an endeared smile when her face gravely disagreed.

"Yes you do, these are second degree burns at leas-" she began insisting while carefully lifting the towel.

An immaculate alabaster epidermis peeked back at her and cut her concerned comment short. She removed the cloth with a perplexed expression. Ashly ran her fingers over skin that should have been blistered and charred. While her fingertips lightly swept across his unmarked palm and slid lower towards his fingers, memories of unnaturally healed grisly battle wounds flashed through her mind.

"Riiight" she softly murmured to herself as her eyes flickered up to his and a small sheepish smile spread across her reddening face. "I forgot. They..ah...your memories aren't always right up front, in there. I have to dig sometimes." she elaborated while her other hand made a circling motion next to her ear.

Quinlan's head bobbed in understanding and his fingers curled around hers before they could slip away past his claws, startling her into looking down at their conjoined hands. The sight of her fleshy human mitt in his ghastly grasp unnerved her for a second before a heartwarming sensation replaced the feeling. Just like that their striking biological differences were no longer unsettling. She was made to accept the fact that his fingernails could slit her wrist in one easy scratch and she gave his hot hand an affectionate squeeze.

"Juliet your meat is sticking to the bottom of the pot." Dutch announced a moment later from the kitchen.

Ashly didn't react to the information right away because it came to her through a thick fog of simulated happiness. The dopey grin she was gazing up at Quinlan with slowly faltered until she did a double take over at the blonde and the pieces finally fit into place.

"Shit!" she muttered, not looking back as she let go of him and walked away for fear she wouldn't be able to if she did.

She took the wooden spoon from Dutch and scowled at the woman who was smirking at her.

"Well that was cute and creepy." she teased in a whisper with a playful nudge to the brunette's curvy side.

"There's no point in whispering." Ashly reminded her with a sideways glance thrown at the figure who'd moved to the area where the group was attempting to grow vegetables. "What do you mean creepy? What were we doing? What was creepy about it?"

"Have ya ever seen one a those Japanese cartoons? Like when a couple in one of those gets heart eyes and the background of the cartoon disappears so it's only them and there's cheesy music and they just stare at each other?" Dutch tried to explain while Ashly continued dislodging beef from the bottom. "It was like that except you were two ticks away from drool overflowing and instead of cheesy music he was…rattling?..at you."

"It's a purr." she nonchalantly corrected before she visibly mentally backtracked and shook her head at her own unexplainable ability to automatically distinguish the difference between Quinlan's noises.

The conversation Nikki and Dutch began having about anime became background static for Ashly as her eyes gravitated toward the seemingly plant absorbed dhampir. Random images of him tending to his crops from his wife's point of view flashed through her mind. He looked at ease among the aisles of their struggling greenery, his expression changing while he tenderly inspected each pot. His lips moved frequently, making her briefly wonder if he was talking to the herbs or muttering to himself about their improper care.

Her focus shifted from his concern for the plants to the outline of his body. Every time he reached up to touch a leaf or turn a container's name-tag outward, the form fitting material of his black long sleeve shirt clung tighter to his muscle structure. Enunciating a warrior's build while teasing her repeatedly when the material would go slack from his lack of movement. While he crouched down to get a better look at the bottom row her curiosity turned to what exactly Fet had supposedly seen in the truck. His memories so far hadn't held any clues aside from a vexing wriggling sensation during the nights he'd been forced to put a barrier in between himself and his wife. The many occasions on which he'd looked down at himself while bathing only gave her the confusing impression of a smooth Ken doll. She was biting her lip and slowly, absentmindedly, stirring the stew while letting her imagination run wild when he shot up violently.

He stood up so quickly the movement barely registered in her mind. It was a nanosecond of a blur and then he was suddenly standing, clutching the metal shelves in front of him for support or restraint. She couldn't quite tell which it was as he stared straight at her through the foliage with a frightening intensity. His nostrils flared outward while his lips parted to let out light labored pants.

Ashly's eyes expanded after a few seconds of puzzled eyebrow scrunching. She pressed her thighs together as tight as she could, frantically reaching beside her until she felt Dutch's sweater.

"S-stir the…stir the stuff." she stuttered without breaking the connection of Quinlan's gaze, ignoring the women's question of what was wrong.

She inexplicably felt if she did move her eyes from his, something in him would snap. When she started moving in the direction of the bathroom he moved with her along his aisle, stalking her through the cover of vegetables. She stopped, afraid moving an inch would trigger the primal animal urge he was fighting. He too paused when she did. His hands grappled the metal frame in front of him again, leaving more dents in their wake.

"Vhat-"

"Fet shut your mouth." she quietly growled, afraid Quinlan would attack him in his unhinged state.

Another step was taken and this time he closed his eyes and bowed his head instead of matching it.

"Quinlan?" she hesitantly called out while watching his pained features twitch at the sound of her voice.

When he eventually nodded to her in answer she realized he was holding his breath. As cautiously as she could she removed her sweatshirt and tied it around her waist before she continued moving into the living room. She walked with hindered steps as she tried to travel to the restroom without moving the upper portions of her legs or letting her thighs separate. Ashly ran the last few steps down the hallway and slammed the door shut behind her. She knew the lock was useless if he really wanted to get to her but she turned it anyways.

'That's the last time I think about anything dirty while he's around.' she remorsefully thought to herself while she folded a length of toilet paper and wiped moisture away from between her legs.

The hope that Fet wasn't teasing Quinlan if the events of the bread truck had happened again crossed her mind while she washed her hands. She hadn't had the opportunity to take a look herself this time thanks to that little voice of intuition all her own that'd told her not to set his eyes free. But she hoped for his ego's sake it hadn't happened again.

Her fingers were on the lock when an idea came to her. She grabbed the pine scented aerosol can and propped one foot up on the toilet's closed lid, shaking the container before she pointed the spray hole at her crotch.

"Ooo, cold." she hissed with a sucked in gasp when she sprayed too much and felt the liquid potpourri soak through her blue jeans.

She pinched the baggy material to fan it inwards and outwards, aiming to dry it a little and hopefully prevent a rash from occurring thanks to the chemicals. The sight of herself in the mirror that hung from the back of the door made her scoff and roll her eyes at it.

'I look like shit'

Quinlan acted as though he'd returned his attention to the vegetation after his intended retreated and the smell of her arousal waned. He was enraged at his near lack of self control and his body's ability to almost completely override his rational thought process. He'd not felt so much humiliation in one day since he'd been inducted into the Ancients service despite being a half breed. The fleeting desire to leave that place and resume his simple uncomplicated plan of action ran through him. It was rewired almost immediately to make him stay rooted to the spot thanks in part to his second's entrance.

She gave him a tiny tight-lipped smile as she passed by, a small token she'd hoped would give him reassurance even though he caught a tinge of fear before her emotional broadcast was reprogrammed. He continued to feign inspecting a root rotted aloe plant while subtly watching her and listening to the women continue the same type of chatter they'd indulged in earlier.

"What the hell was that?" Dutch demanded as she gave the stirring reigns back to the brunette.

"The same thing that happens when Fet lets you lick his feet." Ashly whispered back in reference to the blonde's fetish, trying to spare Nikki from hearing. "The difference is mine can smell it from across the room, I guess, and yours can't."

Quinlan's brow muscles raised in surprise at the mortification rippling off the taller woman and a light growl rumbled in his throat when she lightly smacked Ashly's arm.

"Shh he can hear everything, remember?" she hissed in a mocking way.

"He's already seen my memory of you telling me about it. And you didn't seem to care when it was his man parts we were talking about." Ashly quietly reminded Dutch while her conscience began eating at her again.

She glanced up in time to catch his eyes flickering away from her. The idea that he might have been displeased with her for that very conversation churned her stomach in an odd way. The personal details she'd divulged were minimal compared to the heavy archive of information her mind held from his. But it still made an uncomfortable knot form and the worry morphed into the need to have him closer.

"Could you bring me some thyme and parsley Quinlan?" she requested before she realized the words had left her mouth.

She watched him nod back and start to intently search the racks with purpose. Her lips pulled back in a wince and she sorely hoped blurting things out to get him close to her would not be a regular manipulation from the thing within. The quick worry that he wouldn't be able to control himself when he came near occurred to her. Her mind just as quickly assured her he wouldn't chance it if he didn't feel he was in control.

"All the labels might not be showing after last night." Ashly added while scowling at the memory of being tackled into one of the shelves by a miniature strigoi.

As he approached with her requests in hand Nikki fled to the living room and Dutch moved back to lean against the sink. She looked over her shoulder at the blonde and raised one questioning brow at the normally fearless woman before turning back to the stove.

"Thank you." she curtly murmured to him as she accepted the sprigs and leaves.

Quinlan watched his intended try to keep herself busy and avoid him while he received waves of guilt from her. He doubted he'd ever encountered a human that held so much remorse and self loathing before. The way she kept unnecessarily stirring her concoction and fidgeting with a piece of her overgrown bangs that'd escaped its bun, hinted towards the nervousness that also wafted to him.

"I was not affronted by your discussion of myself. I see from your memories it is a human female tradition of sorts to scrutinize a new…boyfriend." he reassured her, heedfully testing the title she'd frivolously allotted him earlier.

When she did not seem repulsed or discontented with his use of the word he tried his hand at the easy humor he'd heard her partake in with her friends.

"I apologize I do not have a book of face for you and the rest of the ladies to peruse."

The laughter that came from her was rewarding and the unexpected cackle from the blonde behind her made him feel a small twinge of acceptance.

"It's called a Facebook." Ashly corrected through her laughter, her eyes squinting into small slits and her dimples deepening much to his enjoyment. "Maybe we'll make you one whenever Dutch gets the internet back up."

Said hacker suddenly dashed toward the area Nikki had retreated to, bending over to rummage through a suitcase that wasn't hers. She returned with a green device and a devilish smile spread across her face.

"He'll need a profile picture." she reasoned when Ashly looked at her oddly for bringing her useless cell phone to them.

"Do you show up on digital film?" Dutch blatantly asked him while she held the device's power button down.

"Ah…"

He struggled to answer the question because he didn't know and he hadn't expected the other woman to address him directly.

"Yeah, have you seen the New York Times lately? They're not Dracula. They show up in full color." Ashly answered for him, reaching out to take the phone from her.

Dutch temporarily took over stirring dinner while she got to view the amusing spectacle of her friend trying to teach the hybrid how to take a selfie. She watched Ashly giggle at his struggle and the happy scene reminded her why the fight they were fighting against the Master was worth a damn. So humanity could have more of those endearing iPhone moments for generations to come.

After numerous tries that resulted in him only getting half his face in the frame Dutch made a suggestion. "It might be easier for 'em to do it in a mirror."

"Do ya have a-"

Ashly interrupted her joking question with a flat look and a short rant.

"I swear to god Dutchess if you ask him if he has a reflection I'm going to smack you. Don't act like you don't remember smashing that one's face into a mirror the last time I went out with you guys." she insisted in humored annoyance with an accusative finger pointed at her face.

The blonde grinned back at her and gave a guilty shrug while she mentally reminisced about that slaughter fondly. She didn't appreciate the itch for action the memory made return. Her troubled blue eyes floated over to the woman seated petulantly on a couch before they slipped to the couple passing her.

"Use the mirror in the storage room! Bathroom seflies are so two thousand and two!" she yelled out to them, after which she let out a snort at the entire situation.

As they traveled to the end of the hallway Ashly realized the idea of social media may be redundant to Quinlan.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to. This online crap probably seems stupid to you." she assumed, turning back to him while she opened the door.

"It is a part of your world is it not?" he asked while crossing the threshold behind her, knowing fully well that it had been.

"Yeah I used to live on the internet until I came here for a vacation and Dutch worked her magic." she admitted only to regret it when she realized how pathetic it sounded.

"Then it is of interest to me." he concluded as the light was switched on and he began following her through the misshapen maze.

On the way to their destination her foot caught in the loop of a spare power cord. If not for his quick reflexes she would have added another head injury to her already aching skull. A quick embarrassed thank you was murmured on her part when he let go of her arm and they continued on.

"Okay, this time just look into the mirror and press the button." Ashly instructed once she had him seated in the sea of junk.

"Which button?" he falsely inquired, forcing her into leaning over his back to point out the correct one.

The chilly feeling of her t-shirt and bra-covered chest pressing against him while she reached over his shoulder made him let out a shiver that had little to do with her lower body temperature.

"The same one you've been pressing the whole time." she exasperated with a smile that faded as a shutter sound came from the phone.

"Ugh nooo no no. Delete that. I look horrible." she insisted.

Quinlan held it out of her reach, a large grin pulling the slits at the corners of his mouth upward while she struggled to get it.

"You look appealing." he observed as his eyes darted from the picture on the screen to her incredulous face.

"Bullshit my hair isn't done, I don't have makeup on, and I've been in these clothes for three days." she argued even though she was smiling so hard it made her cheeks hurt.

Their playful battle continued until she ended up haphazardly half in his lap, half hanging off the chair straining to hold their combined weight. The laughter coming from them slowly died and the scent she craved plumed from his neck. Their eyes met and she inhaled deeply without thinking. Her eyelids lowered a little while the euphoric pheromones invaded her senses. The link between their eyes was briefly broken as she glanced down at his parted lips and the slightly angled two front teeth just behind them. She could feel herself being reeled in. The invisible line that had her hooked pulled her face closer to his. Until a poking sensation in her fleshy hip brought her back to the reality of the position she was in. Ashly quickly removed herself from him and she made it a point not to look down at his lap.

She coughed awkwardly whilst irritated clicking sounded out from behind her turned back. The simultaneous sound of shuffling material and frustrated struggling made her pity him. And repress a laugh as she pictured him wrestling with a wack-a-mole type situation. Eventually when the sounds ceased she chanced a glance over her shoulder. His head was turned away from her but she could tell his mouth was set in a hard line thanks to the mirror.

"I know you can't keep it from happening, you don't have to be embarrassed in front of me when it does." she asserted while coming forward to lightly lay a hand on one of his clenched fists.

It uncurled and accepted her fingers in its hold but his face remained turned away as his neck continued to pigment an angry red color.

"There's this thing called a cup. Men sports players wear it to protect their..junk." she hesitantly started suggesting. "It's made of hard plastic and the straps hold it in place pretty tight. Do you think something like that might help keep stuff like earlier today from happening in public?"

A stiff "Perhaps." answered her along with his thumb stroking across the top of her knuckles.

"Do you think maybe it won't be as bad for you once we…you know..um.." she trailed off as her own designated patches of skin flushed with embarrassment.

"I would assume so." he guessed as an appreciative rumble left him at her not making light of his rebellious anatomy.

It was her turn to be uncomfortable now as she realized his relief relied on how quickly they got together.

"I know it's probably really, really, hard for you to wait." she began with torturous memories of his first lesser need floating in her mind. "But I'm not okay with screwing two guys in one day."

Quinlan knew certain humans of the present were quick to copulate, some within hours of first meeting one another. He did not resent her for not being one of them. But he was certain that if she made him wait any longer than a handful of days he would be driven mad. What he did resent was the elevated urgency of the need, and its refusal to afford him the courtesy to give his intended as much time as she required. He gave her a nod of his head in the mirror and squeezed her hand softly.

His eyes floated down to their clasped hands. He supposed he should be thankful, in a way, that their bonding had unfolded during a time when humanity was familiar with his kind. His first had refused to be within reaching distance of him whenever possible in the beginning, thanks to his unusual appearance. Let alone the fearful suspicions that his wife had held long into their time together at his failure to eat the meals she'd prepared. The hasty acceptance Ashly had already given him did not go unappreciated.

She bent over to pick up the phone that'd been dropped during the debacle, thankful the flimsy screen hadn't shattered on impact. Her hand was replaced with it and she changed the subject gladly.

"Try again, this time without me in it."

Before he could protest that she should be in the photograph she was scuttling away to duck down behind a crate. The button he pushed made the familiar snapping sound and she quickly reappeared to take the phone from his hands.

"It's…"she paused, looking down at the image of his stoic unsmiling face. "It's a keeper."

Ashly figured it was fitting and logical since he rarely smiled unless they were alone. It made sense that he didn't know any better to smile for a picture. While she led them back to the kitchen she had to keep in another snort as she pictured Quinlan posing for shirtless selfies like a tinder douchebag. That thought led to her wondering what he looked like shirtless as she reclaimed her wooden spoon. She quickly stopped her mind from wandering down that dangerous path. Instead she focused on making him stop watching her and making him feel like he belonged with a menial task.

"Quinlan would you mind slicing half that loaf up and toasting the slices for me?"

A throat clear of protest at the dhampir handling their food came from across the room. It was quieted by her silent glare and her dripping spoon being held threateningly over the pot. The protester went back to his tipsy card game and she glanced beside her.

The sight of his hairless forearms when he pushed up his sleeves made her struggle return. The tendons and muscles in a place she'd never particularly found attractive on a man before stole her attention while he cut into the bread. Her appreciation for the area made her wonder if it was due to the conniving thing inside her, just like her endearment of the claws on his toes. She forced her eyes back to the dark bubbling liquid in front of her out of fear that her body would cause another commotion with its secretions.

Though he gathered it was a simple device. Quinlan was pleased with himself for not needing her assistance in operating the toaster once she'd pointed it out for him. Between intervals of bread browning he was able to watch her flit around the kitchen. He found himself admiring her jerky, uncoordinated, sometimes clumsy movements. The expletive she seemed to favor tumbled from her mouth along with a silver spoon that clattered to the ground.

"Shit." she sighed, the fatigue of the day's events weighing on her heavily as she placed the bundle of spoons on the counter and bent to retrieve the one that'd escaped.

The next thing she knew it was suddenly gone from the floor and a scalding sound whizzed over her head before she could straighten. The spoon had joined the others with a clank. And by the time she stood up Quinlan was suspiciously busy with straightening his stack of toast one-handed with his back to her. She clucked out a tisking noise while she approached an open shelf attached to the brick wall behind it.

"You think you're slick, huh?" she grumbled with a hint of humor as she eyed the receding red line that ran across the side of his palm.

"I do not find myself slippery nor coated in any sort of oil or grease." he retorted with a confused expression as he looked down at his hands and then over to where she was hefting a stack of bowls from their shelf.

She gave him a soft smile before correcting him.

"Slick can mean glib in slang terms. In this case, you thought you were being sneaky. And you thought you were hiding that hand good enough so I wouldn't see the burn." she explained while ladling out a bowl of stew.

His motion of understanding was taken in by her as she came forward to add a piece of toast to the bowl on the opposite side of its spoon. Quinlan's eyes moved with her as she walked to Setrakian's room with it precariously balanced in one hand. She rapped on the metal with her knuckles and the door slid open. He watched the Professor take the meal from her and close the entrance to his sanctuary just as quickly with a muttered "Thank you.".

"Did you perceive yourself as being 'slick' when you dissolved a capsule of arthritic medication into Professor Setrakian's portion?" he questioned when she returned and reached for another bowl.

She threw him a smug look at his reference to the medical aid she slipped into his food one way or another every day. And the way she'd repeatedly looked toward the old man's room while she did it.

"He's not getting any younger and the Master isn't getting any slower." she replied with as shrug while she filled the second.

His eyes again floated with her as she carried the bowl to its destination.

"That's not for you, go get your own." she growled when Fet reached out to pull it his way and his hand got smacked.

"Zach! Dinner is ready!" Ashly called out.

Her hands took up their customary position on her hips as he emerged from his room far too quickly for an adolescent boy who was supposed to be absorbed in a video game. Just as she'd predicted he headed straight for the stove and the ashen figure leisurely leaning against the counter beside it.

"Nuh-uh, over here!" she demanded, pointing to the seat between his father and Fet where a steaming bowl was waiting for him.

The boy visibly deflated and changed his course reluctantly. If his head wasn't stuck in Quinlan's direction he would have spared her a hateful look.

"Eph make sure he actually eats instead of being a rude little shit staring at people."

"I will." Nora answered when Eph only looked up at her with unfocused eyes and turned back to his blurring cards.

"Same for him too, make sure he doesn't just drink his dinner." Ashly nagged with a tilt of her head in Eph's direction. "Double up his bread so it can soak up some of the booze."

The corner of Quinlan's mouth lifted a little as he watched her shake her head at them as she returned. He was glad he wasn't the only one vexed by the many facets of the group's ridiculousness.

"Everyone come eat!" she yelled out while she got her own portion, her eyes flickering upward to look at them all when she didn't hear any movement.

Dutch had began to rise from the couch she was sitting on with Nikki when the other woman grabbed at her sleeve. Eph let out an indifferent alcohol-scented belch. Nora hesitated and gave an apologetic look to Quinlan. Fet outright curled his lip at him and refused to move. A barely audible indignant rattle left the dhampir and he moved away from Ashly, heading for the piece of furniture that was slathered in her scent.

When he reached it Nikki bolted from the living room area and left Dutch in her dust. The blonde let out a sigh and looked to the figure settling himself on the couch that was situated across from the one she'd been seated on.

"They won't always be like this. They'll get used to you eventually." she offered sympathetically as she crossed the area rug and made her way toward the swarm that had descended on the stove.

Quinlan was surprised when Ashly headed towards him instead of toward the table where the rest of the humans had converged. She leaned down to swipe at the bed-pillow that held a film of grey cat hair and then readjusted it so it supported her back while she sat facing him.

"How did you know this was my bed?" she inquired before shoving a vegetable and broth laden spoon in her mouth, her eyes motioning to the other chair and loveseat that'd been available for him to choose.

"It smelt as you do." he supplied while warily eyeing the feline that was approaching his intended.

The cat stopped next to her leg that was dangling over the edge of the couch and sniffed the air in his direction. Its tail immediately bushed out and a fearful hiss was spat at him. It growled and backed away, keeping its eyes on him until it turned and fled to Fet. The Ukrainian laughed and made Ashly realize Zach wasn't the only one watching them as he leaned over to give the cat a small morsel of beef for rejecting Quinlan.

She frowned into her bowl and mentally recalled that the horse he'd used in battle had had to be specially trained not to panic when he came near. Meaning her dream of one day owning ten cats at once would have to remain a dream in light of animals naturally fearing him. A hint of a smile crept onto her face as she acknowledged dates at the zoo were out of the question too since she figured the animals would react to him as if he were the son of the devil.

"How do I smell?" she asked while dread reached his senses.

"Lovely." he proclaimed, glossing over the stale undertone of sex with another man and odor of days old sweat.

Ashly let out a laugh and shook her head doubtfully. She continued eating while he watched, her mind moving to a number of subjects they could discuss before the realization that he already knew everything about her ruined every one. She let out a frustrated huff.

"Could we…" she began asking, letting out another frustrated huff as her original frustration was influenced away. "Could we maybe..pretend we don't already know everything about each other? Especially since I'm so far behind on you?"

He nodded in affirmation but she went on to explain herself anyway, becoming increasingly frantic as she did so.

"That's kind of how people today build relationships. They tell the stories of things that have happened to them and share things they like and don't like and it's hard to do that when you already know it all. I'd like to be able to tell you a story about the cat my Aunt had that hated me but you already know it. You lived it as me. And, and I wanted to ask you if you can eat human food but I already saw what happened when you tried to eat the bread your wife made for you. Do you understand how that's frustrating for me? It's like we'd just have to sit here in silence until something new happens so we can talk to each other like a normal couple would. "

"I will do my best to act as though I have no recollection of your life when it suits you. I suppose you would prefer details such as your dislike of being…tickled.. not be forgotten?" he guessed, watching as she ate another bite off her saturated bread slice and he felt guilt come from her.

She nodded to him but felt bad that she was complicating things for him. Any other time a guy came pre-equipped with her likes and dislikes it would have been a miracle instead of a burden. Ironically once it was established she couldn't think of anything to say. She just sat there and ate her dinner while he watched her and she watched him back. The clanking of utensils and from farther away and hushed conversation filled their silence.

" Dis soup is de best Ash, its de best thing I ever tasted!" Fet loudly informed her when he sat back at the table with his second helping.

"Go home Fet, you're drunk." she chuckled once she was done swallowing the water she'd been drinking when he said it.

Quinlan's hairless brows furrowed at her in confusion while she laughed to herself and scraped at the bottom of her bowl.

"Does the tall one not still reside here with the rest of you? Your memories state-" he cut himself off with a disgruntled look at his blunder.

Her lack of annoyance at his failure to act normal made his self loathing lessen.

"It's an expression, more like an internet meme really. When someone says something ridiculous and you say what I said, what it really means is that you're calling them out on their ridiculousness. I know it really doesn't taste that good because I know how much better it tastes when it's cooked right." she tried to explain the best she could.

Yet another nod answered her and she felt pity for him and the many things to come in the future that he wouldn't understand. As she got up to put her dishes in the sink she felt thankful he wasn't too embarrassed to ask her when he needed to and she made a mental note to herself to keep her laughter to a minimum when such things happened.

Quinlan was browsing the archive of her memory hypothetically marked internet memes when she returned. The empty cup she sat on the cushion that separated them went unnoticed while he contemplated a grumpy-faced feline she was particularly fond of. His eyes focused just in time to find her raising her hand above the cup and moving a knife toward her palm.

Her fingers were wrenched open and the knife was snatched out of her hand so quickly Ashly didn't have time to ask what happened before he was accosting her with a question of his own.

"What in Hades do you think you were doing?" he snapped, looking from the cup to her face with outrage.

Her own outrage showed in the form of her eyebrows moving together and her mouth dropping open. When she grabbed for the knife and he held it out of her reach she sat back and gave up with a cross of her arms.

"It's my job to make sure nobody in this family goes to bed hungry and that includes you."


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** _During filming a_ _ctor Aaron Lazar commented "Love" on my first Instagram promo for this fic and has liked many promos since then. His character debuted in episode 1 of season 3 as the handsome yet foolish Captain Kroft. (Who made the mistake of calling Fet a civilian and declining his backup.) I'm not sure if Mr. Lazar has/is actually reading The Need as I've noticed him hand out several generous 'likes' on other Quinlan-related IG posts. Judging by that sneak peek of the Zach/Lumon trade scene, it looks like his character has been turned and is alongside the Master. If he isn't a reader my second guess is he's appreciative of all the fangirl love Q gets because Kroft is shaping up to become what looks like the strigoi equivalent of Fet. (RPJ once said in an interview that Q is the = to Eichhorst so it makes sense.) Either way after his first comment I jokingly asked him not to spread my train wreck of a fic around set._

 _Call me batshit crazy paranoid but I noticed a few "accidental" homages to my fic in episodes 1 & 2 that make me afraid all the actors have been passing it around set laughing their asses off._

 _#1: Fet says "you too, **Slick** " to Quinlan in episode 1 after Q wishes him "happy hunting". = In chapter 4 Ashly calls Q "Slick" and then has to explain the context of calling someone "Slick" to Quinlan. The writers or whomever could have chosen any other slang term to pop in there but they chose SLICK._

 _#2: Setrakian s_ ays _"Help yourself to some more stew."_ to E _ph in Q's kitchen during episode 2. = In chapter 1 one of the scents Ashly picks up in Q's pheromones is her grandma's beef stew. Ashly also cooks that exact STEW for the group through out chapters 3 and 4. I MEAN COME ON. THEY COULD HAVE SAID SOUP, CHOWDER, GOULASH, ANYTHING BUT S.T.E.W. But they chose stew._

 _#3: This one is farther reaching than the first two. In episode 1 when Eph is trading medicine for food the last thing he asks for is a fifth of vodka. The whole scene made me think of Ashly scrounging for corpse money/groceries in chapter 2. And Eph's liquor was the last thing she ordered in the Italian's shop. (Though I admit it was a pint of whisky not a fifth of vodka.) Like I said #3 was reaching. #1 & #2 though...come on._

 _Just for the record I am batshit crazy. How else would I have been able to come up with this fic? Aaaaand if there really are any Strain actors/writers/crew members etc. reading- Hi guys, welcome, thanks for making me feel like I'm losing my mind, you are such dicks :) Enjoy!_

* * *

Quinlan's hard expression softened into a look of genuine surprise. To him it was unthinkable for a human to voluntarily nourish one of his kind. Downright unheard of in all the years he'd been in existence. And yet here this peculiar woman was, ready to cause herself pain in order to assure his welfare. It made a long forgotten feeling of being cared for well up in his chest. He suppressed a heart-warmed purr.

"I appreciate..I…I.."

The event in which he was at a loss for words was rare, equally so as the perplexing creature seated across from him. She smiled at his polite stammering and reached for the knife again. Making his erratic emotions switch to outrage over the injury she'd been ready to cause herself. He curtly refused while his tempted eyes shyly moved to her neck.

"Opening your flesh would not be necessary."

He fought a grimace of self-disgust. Quinlan naturally viewed his food sources as scum, the underbelly of the ecosystem. There had been many occasions throughout his time when a sterilized pouch had not been available and he'd been forced to take an innocent life to sustain himself. He usually considered his fresh meals as lowly beings, unworthy of a second thought or consideration. Which was why a taboo thrill ran through him at the prospect of feeding from his intended. The feeling repulsed him and made the deviant sensation intensify despite his slight reluctance.

"Yeah it would. I'm not ready to join the dark side yet and the wormies really creep me out." She disagreed, raising her finger to wiggle it in imitation of one of the skinny leeches.

It dawned on him that she had not yet witnessed the memories of his occasional tendency in his latter years. To let a victim live in the event that he'd had his fill. Or his discovery of his own half-breed abnormality. An occurrence that'd only happened once he'd begun hunting strigoi for the Ancients.

"I do not possess the parasites of my father's kind." he informed her, pulling back his sleeve to prove it.

Ashly leaned forward to examine the limb that was extended toward her. True to his word there were no signs of movement beneath his translucent skin. Only dark blue and purple veins webbing out his circulatory system. She swept her fingers from his inner elbow to his wrist to make sure.

"Okay, then I guess we can do this the..ah..the old fashioned way.." she muttered more to herself than him, her fingertips moving from his arm to the skin of her throat.

Her fingers fluttered over the side of her neck and her heartbeat danced with them. Ashly's eyes suddenly widened fearfully and panic shot through her while she excused herself.

"I'll be right back..j-just let me get ready."

His head dipped in acknowledgement and he watched her rush away with the empty cup in hand. Quinlan's train of thought moved to a new moral dilemma. The man he'd drained hours ago during their outing would sustain him through the night. Feeding from her would be purely for his pleasure instead of necessity. Like a human indulging in an ice cream sundae before bed.

Dutch looked up from her place in front of the sink when she heard a cup being hastily placed on the counter. And knocked over thanks to shaky hands. Her thumb nail continued scraping a gummy line from the edge of a bowl while she watched Ashly desperately grab for a nearly empty wine bottle.

"What are you…" She trailed off in confusion as she watched the brunette chug the half full cup.

"Believe me, I'm gonna need it." she offered without explanation and a held up hand as she frantically looked around the kitchen.

Her eyes landed on the discarded pint in the middle of the kitchen table. Without a second thought she marched across the open area to snatch the plastic bottle. The burning aftertaste of her gulp made her choke. Fet let out a drunken holler of approval and smacked her on the back.

"Das vhat 'm talkin' about!" he cheered, trying to hook his long arm around her hips and pull her into his side.

She scooted away out of his reach with an apology to Eph. "Oh my god that's horrible. I'm sorry I got the cheap stuff."

The doctor gave her an indifferent shrug and took a swig himself after she set the pint down. His was accompanied by the "Mmmm" of refreshment while she started swiftly walking toward the restroom. Quinlan raised his hand to stop her as she passed. She interrupted his assurance that the impending act which was causing her visible stress wasn't mandatory.

"Just one more minute."

He debated on what he should do. She seemed eager though fear was coursing through her in tandem with her excitement. Ashly's hurried, increasingly fuzzy, steps skidded and her route down the hallway took a sideways detour into a stack of empty boxes. The sound of tumbling cardboard made the cage beside her slide open. An alarmed grey head poked out.

"I'm fine." she snickered from underneath the pile, emerging on her hands and knees.

Setrakian shook his head and grumbled something while his eyes did their signature maneuver skyward. The door closed as she clumsily made it to her feet. The hybrid leaning over the frame of a couch sat back while he pondered the old man's irritated exclamation of pity for Quinlan's burden. The portion of their secluded conversation that concerned said burden replayed in his head.

"In regards to the connection you've formed with Ms…" Abraham had paused, realizing he did not know the young woman's last name. "Ms. Ashly.. is she..a willing participant?"

"You are concerned for her wellbeing?"

"Ah..yes.." The Professor admitted reluctantly. "I suppose we all are. She's become somewhat of a beloved mascot among the group despite her absurdities."

"During the first few hours we encountered one another she was not willing. As you can see over the course of the evening her perspective on the matter has evolved. No harm will come to her by my hand. You have my word. Although.." Quinlan hesitated because he did not want to admit to himself what he was about to say let alone admit it to the human across from him. "..I can not grantee she will transcend the term of pregnancy unscathed. Nor can I assure that our offspring will endure inside her following the Master's demise."

"And you. Will you endure once he has fallen, Mr. Quinlan?"

"I know not. It is not of importance."

He spoke of his own death without a shred of concern. Setrakian leaned forward and looked gravely into his milky eyes.

"You'd do well to keep that possible outcome a secret. It will be of the utmost importance to _her_." He stated forcefully, pointing toward the room beyond a makeshift wall. "She is enraptured with you, even I can see that. Entering into this union with her leads to a high probability of her death. Or at the very least the death of her lover and child. Forcing her to lose yet another family. Let the time she has with you stay unburdened."

Quinlan remorsefully looked away toward the direction of her voice among the others. His guilty silence stretched out for many seconds.

"This path you lead her down ends only in pain and in the event that it distracts you enough, the end of the human race. My true concern lies in the complications this development raises for the cause. She will slow you down. Impede what must be done. Are you certain there is no way to break this..this 'need'?"

"I'd sooner be capable of eradicating your need for oxygen Professor. There is no end until her life ends."

"Then you have no choice but to take her under your charge during our quest for the Lumon."

"It would appear so."

"I wish you luck. And may god have mercy on you."

* * *

Inside the restroom Ashly yanked the nearest hand towel from its rack and began wetting it. Her movements were rushed and a bar of soap was dropped more than once. Curses dropped from her mouth with it. Her harsh breathing echoed around the tiled room and it was difficult to tell if it was due to the running or panic.

"It's okay. It's.." she breathed out to herself, trying to rationalize what she was doing. "It's just like taking a guy out to dinner."

Sudsy cloth rubbed over the portion of skin covering her jugular. Rubbing turned to paranoid scrubbing and the washcloth moved to irrational places. Like the back of her neck. It eventually traveled to the other side in case he preferred that one. All while she panted out more babble.

"Just like taking a guy to a steakhouse. Except he likes his steak raw and mooing.. And I'm the cow… It's okay.."

Throbbing pain made her frantic eyes focus in the mirror and take in the bright red ring that was now her neck. Her worries over dirty skin and how she tasted turned sarcastic as she muttered to herself.

"I'm also the farmer washing the cow before it goes off to the slaughter house.."

A buzzed chuckle left her at her own ridiculous analogy while she fanned underneath her upturned jaw. Generating cooling air that she hoped would lessen the angry color of her date's menu. Her cheeks soon matched her throat when she realized he'd likely heard her failed self-calming words. Their rosy tint from the liquid courage deepened as she winced and moved a hand to cover her mouth. She closed her eyes and slow breathing eventually streamed down onto her knuckles. Her lips were released and a shaky breath left them.

The brief thought of brushing her snarled hair crossed her mind as she looked at herself. Knowing that battle would take too long she bent to splash cool water on herself instead. Washing away the soap and some of the irritated color from her skin. Ashly dried off and spared one last look in the mirror. Her mind turned to curiosities and excitement slowly overtook her lingering fear.

The mechanical clicking of a doorknob turning made Quinlan readjust his position. Her footsteps grew closer and he prepared to cancel their figurative 'dinner date' as she'd referred to it. Unfortunately the first thing that came to mind at the sight of her eager flushed face left his mouth.

"You do not resemble the spotted beast in any way."

"Aaand you're not supposed to hear that? Remember?" She wanted to retract her joking reminder as soon as his averted at his mistake. "Maybe we need to just forget pretending we're normal. Fuck it. There is nothing normal about us."

A tight upward twitch of his lips answered her wide dopey smile as she gracelessly plopped down next to him. Her head reclined and his outstretched arm cradled the back of her neck easily. Turning her jaw up and exposing her raw throat to him. The scent of lavender soap scarcely masked the tantalizing blood she'd ushered to the thin barrier of her skin. His iridescent eyes slid from her pulsing vein up to her tinted cheeks.

"Are you so afraid that you must consume spirits to quell your fear? Or do you simply wish to see me inebriated?"

"I didn't know you could get drunk." She admitted with a surprised cackle. "But that would be fun to see. Can all of them get shitfaced or are you just special because you're half human?"

"All strigoi are susceptible to components within a human's bloodstream." He informed her, watching as her face lit up with delight.

"Did you hear that Eph? We can liquor them to death!"

Ashly's exclamation made the doctor raise his nearly empty plastic bottle in salute. Her good humor faltered slightly when her gaze moved over to Fet's worried face. His beard sunk down in a frown at how close she was to the half-breed. She turned away from the shake of disapproval his head gave her and settled into the warm marble cushioning the base of her spine.

"Why would you volunteer to partake in an act that makes you so fearful?"

The feeling of his breath dancing across her neck made it hard for her to focus and she shrugged, not putting much thought into her answer at first.

"I don't want you to go hungry and…"

The strong wave of jealously that came from her was unexpected. Something Quinlan rather enjoyed sampling from the man who watched them closely.

"Does the thought of my feeding from others displease you?" He inquired smugly as his hand shifted to curl around her shoulder.

She pulled away from him abruptly much to his dislike. The absence of her weight and chilly coolness against his side made a sinking sensation yank at his stomachs. Ashly's eyes focused through the alcohol and narrowed at him.

"Hey! That's not cool. Stop it." She whined with a wrinkle of her nose, pointing an unsteady finger at his face. "No mind reading. You're not supposed to be able to do that yet."

"I deduced your train of thought based upon your emotional palate." He insisted innocently, hiding the satisfaction he got from her affirmative reaction. "If it gives you peace of mind I rarely feed from the source these days as disease runs rampant among the masses. The generous donors of the Red Cross supply my means of sustenance when I am not on the lamb."

"Good." She retorted petulantly, moving to face him with one leg tucked underneath her. "Cause if I ever catch you sucking on some chick's neck you're gonna get my silver-toed boot up your ass."

Her threat was made endearing in a way only the need's influence could. He purred reassuringly to her and the sound made her eyes drop to his wattle. The entwined swell of dread and excitement floated to him as her gaze climbed to his lips. She took a deep breath and gathered her hair to one side. Clearing ample room for him as she tugged her baggy t-shirt over until it bared her entire shoulder.

"Okay, I'm ready."

Despite her words and the way her chin turned away in welcome, she winced sharply. As though she were bracing herself for extreme pain. He could hear her nervous heart speed up with every second she waited. Even her breathing elevated as the increments of time ticked by.

"You do not have to-"

Ashly eyes popped open and before he could finish his decline she cut him off with an erratic suggestion.

"Wait! Can I see it first? I think I'm scared because I'm used to these things shooting at me. So could you just..slowly..let me.." She made a gesture with her mouth, opening it a fraction to articulate the words that escaped her.

Quinlan's brow muscles shot up and a click of surprise answered. The oddity of her request was overlooked when he saw how eagerly she leaned forward with her eyes zeroed in on his lips. The shift of her curiosity outweighing her fear won him over and he nodded.

"As you wish, my love."

The sentiment made her brows rise and her eyes flicker to his quickly before he cleared his throat. She watched him lick his lips in a suggestive way that made her want to kiss them if she hadn't know what was coming next. Quinlan parted them leisurely, causing a thrill of suspense to run through her. The pallor of his tongue was surprisingly pink. A detail she noted as it slid past his angular front teeth.

A soft gasp left her when his tongue first peeled apart to separate. Up until that point he'd appeared to simply be sticking his tongue out at her teasingly. The lull of the need constantly made her forget how dangerous he truly could be as it played up his human attributes. But even then, it was weaving a tapestry of deception to make her accept this show of strigoiness with a sneaky plume of persuasion.

The purpose of the slits along the sides of his mouth revealed themselves as his jaw unhinged and made way. Pheromone-addled fright battled with awe as the sound of slick flesh moving against flesh grew louder. Visible bulges and ripples underneath the swirls she admired stole her gaze briefly before the tip of his stinger unfurled between his tongue flaps.

"It's like a meat lily." She breathlessly marveled with a charmed smile. "It's kinda pretty."

Quinlan struggled not to choke on his own stinger at her comparing his deadly organ to that of a beautiful flower. He began extending it, breaking the illusion of a pendulous bloom.

"You don't slobber like the full strigoi, that's nice." She nonchalantly noted the lack of saliva dripping from his length as the fleshy prongs grew closer to her.

It stopped inches from her and she leaned over to look from his open maw to his watchful eyes. Not acknowledging the outbreak of whispers from the next room.

"Can you shoot it farther than this or is that it?"

His snakelike inner lids blinked blankly at her. She realize it was impossible for him to answer her question the way she'd formed it. He demonstrated his stinger's length by gradually moving it up toward the ceiling until it surpassed a walkway up above.

"Holy chit. Course de muncher on steroids'd have a super stinger."

"Coooool"

Gasps sounded out from the others. A screech provided by Nikki was the last straw of tolerance Ashly had left for the shortage of privacy.

"Fet, Zach, everyone go to bed!"

Her unexpected reprimanding yell made Quinlan swiftly ingest his stinger while her head was turned. And her wide-sweeping glare sent most of the inhabitants moving. It was a widely observed unspoken rule in respect to her roomless state, that once she gave the word, everyone turned in. Nora ushered first Zach and then Eph to their rooms. A flash of brunette hair fled past their couch as soon as Dutch told Nikki where the bedroom they'd be occupying was located. After collecting the empty bowl that'd been pushed outside the professor's door the blonde followed.

"Nighty night. Don't let the…" Dutch trailed off with a thoughtful look at the unusual couple. Her tone turned suggestive to screw with Fet and she left them with a wink. "On second thought _do_ let the bedbugs bite."

With an aggravated sigh Ashly turned back to Quinlan and furtively ignored the only person who hadn't listened to her "lights out" call.

"This _thing_ makes it so easy to forget everyone's watching and listening." She quietly grumbled.

"In your presence it is quite easy to overlook the world around you." He smoothly agreed with a slight smirk at her bashful giggle.

"Jus tell 'er she's got a fat amazin' ass and call ita night."

The rude complement made her whip around to scowl at the Ukrainian one more time.

"He's a gentlemen and he's got class unlike you, Mr. Mouse King. Stop being such a hater Fet and go to bed."

"You're not my mama. I don't gotta listen ta you." Fet playfully snapped back, tipping the whiskey bottle above his mouth to empty the last sip. "Sides, where do you think I'm gonna go? With them?" He demanded with a hand waved in the direction of the room he once occupied with Dutch. "Not gonna happen."

Ashly threw him a face that said she was not going to play his games or get baited into an argument. She knew turning her attention back to Quinlan would aggravate him enough. The movement of her scooting closer to the hybrid broke the displeased glower he was focusing on Fet.

"Will you show me it again?" she asked sweetly, unfulfilled with the short time she'd gotten to study his unique appendage.

Her request made Quinlan spare a gloating glance at the dark-haired man. The upward quirk in the corner of his elongated mouth silently boasted. He reveled in his ability to do something she enjoyed that Fet couldn't, projecting his stinger slowly for her viewing pleasure.

Her eyes narrowed at the dark hole pointed at her face. Ashly's focus quickly darted between the wiggling points and the base of his triangular muscle. Their fangs made her gulp but they were nothing compared to the small spear that was designed to impale veins while the others latched onto his prey. A giddy feeling made her hand raise toward the length of flesh. She retracted it suddenly as she reminded herself she should ask permission.

"Can I touch it?"

His eyes widened with disbelief but he nodded his consent to her. He was shocked she wanted to explore one of the most inhuman parts of himself. Painstaking precautions had been taken in the duration of his marriage to ensure his wife didn't view his instrument of consumption. He'd never imagined any woman on earth would want to caress it with such admiration as his second intended did. Quinlan was beginning to regard her as one of the few marvels of the modern world.

She jumped as a sucking sound came from the opening and all three fangs swiftly disappeared into the flesh of his stinger. Rendering it safe for her to handle. She leaned forward, craning her neck to lift her face and sniff experimentally. Her nose detected a metallic scent. The hand that reached out was shaking so slightly only Quinlan's eyes picked up on it. She lightly ran her fingertips over the nimble shaft carefully. Adding more pressure when she realized it was strong enough to withstand the weight of her hand and then some.

"It's soft. Not as soft as your honey buns but still soft. Probably made out of the same stuff my gums are." she rambled, swiping her tongue along the inside of her cheek.

An amazed smile stretched across Ashly's face and her palm turned to cradle the underside of his stinger. Moving in loving strokes that got the dhampir to relax into the soothing gesture momentarily.

"You'rea pettin' his intestines. How romantic."

The sound of Fet's sarcastic voice and his weight flopping down on a couch across from them ruined the moment. She dropped her hand and Quinlan reeled in his stinger with an affronted rattle at the intruder.

"Fuck Fet, do you have to be such a rude dick? This is my bedroom you know?"

"Yah vell now we're roommates. Get useta it."

An aggravated sigh came from her as she mentally acknowledged that he didn't have anywhere else to sleep. A small part of her even considered offering her couch to Fet in light of how his head and legs hung off the ends of the small loveseat.

"I have a temporary residence within the city should you wish for privacy. We may retire there if you like." Quinlan offered to her with a judgmental sweep of his eyes around the industrial compound.

"Nuh-uh someone's gotta chaperone dis lil strigoi sleepover. Vhat happens if he gets hungry for a midnight muncher snack and sucks down da first thing he smells? Huh?" If Fet's lip could curl any higher it would crawl off his face. "You're not takin' her anywhere Born-o."

The sound Quinlan answered with was unmistakably hostile and made the exterminator consider sleeping with a piece of rebar. The rumbling growl stretched out until his intended's unease reached him. He fell silent to stop her discomfort. But didn't take his loathing stare off the disrespectful human until her voice commanded the return of his eyes.

"I can't leave them." She stated almost fearfully at the sobering thought of being away from the rag-tag family her emotional stability clung to. Ashly tried to cover it with a quick quip. "This place would fall apart without me."

"There are rooms enough to accommodate all of your kindred. As well as an exquisite kitchen which would be at your disposal. It is my understating that the building was once an exclusive gathering place for Manhattan's wealthy elite."

"Great. He's a squatter ta top it off." Fet grumbled as he slung an arm over his eyes and kept in mind the tiny knife that was still lying discarded on the coffee table between them.

Ashly rolled her eyes and reached out to take Quinlan's hand, carefully avoiding his hazardous fingernails.

"It would be too dangerous trying to move everyone at night. Thanks for the offer. It's sweet of you to invite everyone and I'll suggest it to them in the morning. But not tonight."

A throaty involuntary yawn forced its way out of her mouth and she forlornly looked over at the clock. She squeezed his palm and he could feel her intense dread at the idea of being apart from him while she slept. When she turned to him the pleading look on her face made him reach out to touch her. The heel of his palm stroked across her round cheek as if trying to wipe away her panic.

"Will you stay here with me? Please? The back cushions come off to make more room and I don't care if.." She didn't want to embarrass him in front of Fet. "If..you know…Just please-"

"He's not spendin' da night."

"Ugh! Don't make me wake up Abra-"

"The Professor was already kind enough to extend me an invitation. If you take issue with this arrangement Mr. Fet I suggest you take it up with him."

The clipped tone of Quinlan's voice and the straining tendons in his neck tipped her off to his evaporating patience for Fet's antics. As if the way his hand tightened around hers hadn't already told her as much. She was thankful for the groan of defeat the Ukranian let out before he rolled onto his side with his back to them.

"Now that that's settled and there aren't any more interruptions, lets get to the sucking." She tittered as she began clearing her hair out of the way again.

Her persistence was admirable but Quinlan decided her body had endured enough traumas after the day's events.

"I must humbly refuse your offering as I am already sated for the evening." He politely declined.

Ashly's disappointment was short-lived.

"Perhaps a.." He searched for the word. "..a rein-check for breakfast?"

She nodded happily and her "sure" was drowned out by Fet's agreement.

"Thank god, you two're gonna make me spew my stew."

A dramatic groan came from Ashly as she stood and released Quinlan's hand to begin modifying the couch. If not for the trouble it was causing her she would have congratulated Fet on his day-long epic streak of snarky retorts.

"Can you two not kill each other while I go brush my teeth?" She demanded in a flat exhausted voice.

"I've resisted thus far. Have I not?" Quinlan dryly replied, hinting at his own cheekiness she'd yet to truly witness.

Fet flipping his middle finger over his shoulder was the best sign of agreement she supposed she would get. She grabbed her dwindling supply of airplane-sized toiletries from her suitcase along with a pair of pajama bottoms. Leaving them with one last worried look. The moment the bathroom door shut Fet swiftly rolled over and sat up. Dropping all pretense of trying to sleep in order to address their unwelcome guest directly.

"You keep your stinger an any other wiggly bits you got ta yourself, understand? You hurt her an I'll cut em both off." He began threateningly in a low voice, pointing a finger at the unimpressed hybrid's crotch.

"Dis chit aint right- a human an a muncher makin' it. And if that labels me an anti-strogoic alright vhatever. But I know damn vell if it wasn' for your cinnabun bullchit she wouldn' be anywhere near your pasty ass."

A unhappy clicking and the slow tilt of the half-breed's head told Fet he'd hit a nerve.

"Das right, she facked me 'cause she vanted me. Not 'cause I drugged her. Don'tcha forget it buddy. Seein' as it's up there with the resta her memories I don't think you ever vill." He taunted with the same finger tapping against his temple.

The squeak that traveled through the piping behind his head from the water shutting off made Fet hurry to grab the knife from the table. Tucking it away under the cushion that would support his upper body when he laid down. He cautiously glanced toward the hallway before releasing one last jab.

"You don' deserve her."

"At last, something we concur upon." The dhampir agreed with a haunted air as he looked away from Fet's hateful gaze.

"Agree on what?" Ashly inquired suspiciously as she walked into the room and Fet swiftly laid back.

The two males shared a look that wasn't exactly friendly before Quinlan answered her.

"Your transcending beauty of course."

"You're a good liar." she snorted with an unconvinced scowl.

Another look was shared by the two while she walked to turn off a majority of the lights and paused at a closet. Quinlan held his gaze as he began undoing the ornate buttons of his vest. Almost challenging Fet to say something with her present while he shrugged out of the layer of clothing. The human's eyes narrowed and his lip curled in warning as the dhampir began removing his long-sleeved suede shirt. Exposing his pale chiseled physique.

Ashly turned around with bedding in her arms and an unintentional soft gasp escaped her. Seeing Quinlan's bare upper half in person was much more potent than the visions she'd seen through his eyes in mirrors. It took the clearing of Fet's throat to make her realize she was just standing there staring with her mouth wide open. Even Quinlan's conceited purr of satisfaction hadn't shaken her out of her ogling. She visibly snapped out of it, jolting slightly. Her eyes dropped to her feet and a mortified guilty grin held her face as she continued her journey to Fet.

Draping the comforter over his tall frame she frowned weakly when it failed to cover his feet. Her mind was filled with concern for his toes due to how cold it got in the main room of the compound at night. Which was why she was looking back at them when she moved to shove his pillow under his head. Not alert enough to see his hand moving toward her until she felt it clasp the back of her neck, pulling her face down. The cocky words "Thanks babe." left Fet's lips before they covered hers.

The kiss lasted but a few milliseconds before she felt Fet's hand being pried off her. She straightened on her own and quickly looked up to find Quinlan seething with unrestrained rage. Openly roaring at him with a crushing grasp threatening to break the man's wrist.

"Stop it! Let go!" she commanded, smacking her hand down on the leather to get through to him. "He's just doing it to piss you off. He's not really interested in me. You know that."

"There is no permissible excuse for his actions." Quinlan argued back, unrelenting his grip as a painful pop sounded from Fet's joint and he yelped out in pain.

"Quinlan stop!"

The need to end her upset was what made him open his claws. Not her actual pleas. Another roar of frustration at the inner thing puppeteering him rumbled from his chest as Fet reached for the hidden knife. He moved out of stabbing range too quickly for him to see, carting her along with an arm woven around her stomach to lift her. Ashly sucked in a surprised inhale at being moved to their couch so swiftly.

"Should you force yourself upon her once more I vow it shall be you whom will lose limbs."

The squelch of vomit surging up her throat demanded Quinlan's attention and his guarding eyes shifted to see her holding a hand tightly over her mouth. The males watched her fight to swallow it down and pant for air.

"D-don't do that again without warning me first." she eventually coughed out to Quinlan. Looking as though she might still heave or smack the both of them as she continued. "And you. Don't think you can plant one on me whenever you want now just because you've had me hanging on a hook waiting for the past few weeks."

Her anger at the hybrid was impossible to maintain thanks to the manipulative microchip and his closeness. And her outrage at Fet only lessened because the effort it took to keep glaring was beginning to make her skull ache.

"M'sorry Ash. I-"

"No! Shut it." She cut him off with forceful refusal that involved a immature stomp of her foot. "Just shut it and go to sleep. I've had enough today just sssshhhhhh."

Fet's brows rose with surprise and he closed his mouth. Moving to tuck the knife away as he shook his limp hand, trying to make it regain feeling faster. Quinlan peered down at Ashly with an apologetic expression though he felt the pain he'd caused her friend was justified. He took the lead, lying down with his back against the cool leather, extending his arm out to rest just below her pillow. Beckoning for her to join him as his other hand reached toward her with his palm offered up.

He could hear her pulse quicken as she took in the sight of him shirtless and enticing her to come lay with him. An audible gulp sounded in her throat but she stepped forward. She ended up on her side with his bicep fitting the curve of her shoulder. Her face inches from his as their breaths mingled and he moved his free hand to stroke her hair. Twenty long moments stretched out with them wordlessly looking into each others eyes until she truly desired to sleep.

"Will you breathe like you normally do, please? I need noise to sleep, the quiet…"

"At night when the other occupants are not copulating or making some manner of disruption your mind wanders through the silence to those you've lost…" he acknowledged sympathetically, releasing the flap of skin that caused his churr every time his lung sack compressed with an exhale.

Her eyes widened with relief at having someone know the secret misery she'd been enduring every night. Without warning she burst out in tears and buried her weeping face in his neck. Wrapping the arm that wasn't wedged underneath her around his waist to snuggle closer. The emotional outpouring wasn't just for her parents but the entire mountain of stress that'd accumulated through the day.

His strigoi noises lulled her cries to weak whimpers until they died out. She fell asleep contently clinging to him. With mucus from her nose pooling in the crevices of his throat. Quinlan's tireless arm stopped stroking her hair only when her breathing deepened into sure snores. The unflattering sounds served to keep his own mind from wandering and soon he drifted to sleep as his breathing shifted to match hers.

* * *

The next morning Quinlan woke to the smell of freshly drawn blood. Her blood.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _This chapter isn't exactly what I wanted it to be but I was excited/getting frustrated so I posted it anyways. I recently got a second job as a scare-actress at a haunted house. Halloween gobbles up all my September/October free time in general because I decorate my house inside and out. Now I really have zero time to spare. Hopefully chapter updates will continue in November. My advice to get through the drought is to re-read chapters 1-4 to tide yourselves over. I've recently hunted down most of the typos in those chapters and added some details here and there. Thank you guys for reviewing and reading, love ya!_


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